Obit

VANESSA GOULD
USA, 2017
93 minutes, Color
Official website

Modern obits concern next to nothing about death and "everything to do with life," says an obit writer. "We look for people who changed the way we live," explains William McDonald, obituaries editor at The New York Times, in Vanessa Gould's bright look at the paper's obituary desk. Gould has crafted a celebration of the tradition of memorializing our fellow humans. The film intercuts interviews with the reporters with scenes of them crafting the day's stories, calling recent widows and family members. Notable obits are brought to life through historical films and photos. A particularly good example of Gould's wit and skill is the obit for perhaps the last typewriter repairman. The film cuts to footage of Liberace sitting down at a typewriter and playing composer Leroy Anderson's whimsical song "The Typewriter." Obit is also a tribute to good old-fashioned journalism, currently defying its own premature obituary.—Dave Nuttycombe