Despite the commonality, and frankly, inevitability, of death, its taboo nature does not lend itself well to emotional or practical preparation. Death is a topic that the media rarely touches – at least in terms of the day-to-day practicalities of death work. 

In this second event in our Loss and Legacy series, we’ll watch a documentary that lays bare this “mysterious” process.  Raw, honest, and void of pretense or the kind of sentimentality typically encountered in Hollywood films about death, this award-winning documentary (Special Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival) offers a real world look into what happens behind-the-scenes and the kinds of considerations and logistical tasks in play. 

In lieu of a narrative arc, and told from the perspective of death workers, the documentary provides vivid snapshots of who gets called when a deceased person is discovered, how possessions are handled, and what happens when a body is unclaimed and/or there is no next of kin.

Over the course of our gathering, we’ll divide the documentary into three sections, spending time after each to have a focused community discussion prompted by questions raised in the scenes. At the close of the film, we’ll have a larger philosophical discussion about the practical endeavor of death work and some of the questions about life & death (and how we relate to others) that it raises.

In addition to providing a warm, philosophical forum for exploring death, this documentary invites rich thoughts about what goes into how to prepare ourselves and others, what roles people play & the impact of such work, and some of the broader social & philosophical considerations therein.

Note: Given the nature of this documentary, you will encounter sensitive images, including visuals such as maggots, decaying skin, and plastic-wrapped bodies.  As such, unlike our normal gatherings, we are not planning on offering any food/snacks.  We will, however, have water and hot tea.

Thank you to our symposia series community sponsors BWP Helena Great Northern Hotel and  Helena Civic Television, to our community partners Helena Avenue Theater, to our grantors the Helena Area Community Foundation, the Philosophy Learning & Teaching Organization, and Humanities Montana, and to our donors and the Helena community.