Product Details

• Actors: David Rosenthal
• Format: NTSC
• Region: All Regions
• Studio: CustomFlix
• DVD Release Date: July 24, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000H6SVJ4
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,528 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, inquisitive film!, July 29, 2006

By 

Sparrowpost.net - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witnessing Death: a grandson's reflections on Alzheimer's (DVD)

Reviewed by Carla Blackmar

David Rosenthal's new short film "Witnessing Death" is a powerful, inquisitive film essay about the death of the filmmaker's Grandfather, Kurt Rosenthal from Alzheimer's. In contrast to our habitual, perhaps even socially mandated tendency to sweep the details of death under the rug until we must personally confront them in silence, "Witnessing Death" addresses them with a lucid honesty that does justice not only to the difficulty of dying, but also to the way the process defines us as family, community and culture.

The film begins with footage of Rosenthal's Grandfather about four years after he has been diagnosed with the disease, at a time when his more youthful personality is still visible in his quips and interactions with Rosenthal and his camera. Over the course of the film, we see his grandfather diminish, thinning physically and withdrawing cognitively as he grows closer to death. The film centers on the way the progression of Alzheimer's confounds the social conventions associated with "the good death." How does one say goodbye during such a prolonged period of departure?

In order to answer this question, Rosenthal seeks out different perspectives on the role the living play in the life of the dying. Rosenthal has a gift for conducting and filming interviews, and his discussions with doctors, nurses and chaplains are woven into his personal narrative, re-shaping his understanding as his grandfather moves towards death.

Some of the most remarkable interviews are those Rosenthal conducts with CNAs (Certified Nurses Assistants) who attend to the most basic needs of the dying in nursing home facilities. Following close on the heels of a comment from a psychotherapist about the way our culture doesn't value "caring for the body of the dying," the CNAs frankly describe what it is like to do just that on a daily basis. While the CNAs are open about the difficulty of their work, they nonetheless assert that there is an element of closeness and sanctity in serving those who can no longer serve themselves. It is surprising to hear CNAs suggest that there is something tanscendent about work so many of us imagine to be repugnant and dismal. It is remarkable to hear that there can be something redemptive about dying: a process so many of us would like to ignore, or even to euthanize our way out of.

The startling interviews with the CNAs mark a turning point in the film. In contrast to our familiar way of talking about disease and dying in martial terms "battle with cancer" or "struggle against Alzheimers," the interviewees suggest a different approach, not fighting or curing, but instead "witnessing" death; to mark someone's departure from the world with the same attentions merited by someone's entry as an infant.
In the case of Kurt Rosenthal's passing, this "witnessing" is accomplished quite beautifully in his Grandson's film. As sad as it is to watch Alzheimer's steady progression, the care Rosenthal has taken in telling the story of his Grandfather's end is a testament to the life he led prior to the stage chronicled in the film.

Though we are told almost nothing of Kurt Rosenthal's life from the film; (there are no old black and white pictures, grainy 8mm footage, or nostalgic reminiscing), we can't help but feel as though we know him through the process of watching his son and grandson witness his death. The love evident in these last attentions tells us volumes about the man Kurt Rosenthal was in life.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent integration of emotional and intellectual stances, August 13, 2006

By 

Celia Berdes, PhD Assistant Professor Northwe... (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witnessing Death: a grandson's reflections on Alzheimer's (DVD)

"In Witnessing Death, David Rosenthal uses his own experience of his grandfather's death to structure an exploration of the meaning of witnessing death, both to direct care workers and to academic and clinical experts on end-of-life care. The result is an excellent integration of emotional and intellectual stances toward approaching death, in which nurse's aides' perceptions provide a middle ground between the too-near family experience and the too-distant experts."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you for sharing yourself so authentically!, August 13, 2006

By 

Susan (Coral Gables, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witnessing Death: a grandson's reflections on Alzheimer's (DVD)

"Your filming and commentary were so real, so tender. Thank you for sharing yourself so authentically. My husband's mother has Alzheimer's so I found it highly relevant and very moving. I don't even know you and yet I felt so proud of you for taking action, acknowledging your desire to have closure with both your grandfathers and sharing your work so that others can hopefully handle death better."