Brief, but uniquely life affirming, Georges Hannan’s Undertaker for Life! spends time with some rather chipper and well spoken folks about their jobs as morticians, funeral directors, and embalmers.
Hannan strikes a balance between asking his subjects about the particulars of a profession many see as dark, depressing, and sacred, and simply watching them going about their daily business of arranging flowers, mowing the lawn, or taking the hearse in for an oil change. Hannan’s observational skills are playful, showcasing the curiously mundane side of the funeral process that few rarely witness, and his interview subjects all have a good sense of humour and candour.
Differing faiths and customs are paid equal respect here, and Undertaker for Life! is refreshingly upbeat in its approach towards a topic few like discussing for fun. But Hannan also asks his subjects about the things that get inside their heads and make them examine their own mortality, particularly the deaths of children, people their same age, and family members. It examines the role these people play in someone else’s grieving process. As is pointed out in Undertaker for Life!, their job doesn’t benefit the deceased so much as it’s meant to comfort those left behind. Hannan’s tribute to these people is warm, philosophical, and grateful. It might just make you feel ever so slightly better about death.
Friday, April 28, 2023 – 8:30 pm – Scotiabank 7
Monday, May 1, 2023 – 2:30 pm – TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Undertaker for Life! will be available to stream across Canada via Hot Docs from May 5th to 9th.
Theatrically the film will screen alongside shorts Nicole, Last Respects, and About Memory and Loss. Online, it will screen alongside About Memory and Loss.
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