Death – A Series About Life
Eivind Tolås, Norway, 2014, 1 Seasono
Following the early death of his wife, Norwegian Eivind Tolås and his daughter take a year to explore the intertwining of life and death in different times and cultures. In doing so, the two approach their subject with such fearlessness, curiosity and ingenuity that their world tour to the last things becomes a lively and highly entertaining scientific and cultural tour d'horizon: of physical death, ideas of the afterlife, death as a creative motor, as a business and as a political issue.
Did you know that the human body could not develop at all without the death of a million cells every second? Or that the vast majority of people with near-death experiences see neither a film of life nor a light at the end of a tunnel? Finally: Why did Christians prefer to be buried for a long time, while Hindus opt exclusively for cremation? Norwegian filmmaker Eivind Tolås explores these and countless other questions in his five-part documentary film series Death - A Series About Life. Taking the early death of his own wife as his starting point, the director and his eight-year-old daughter take a year to explore the intertwining of life and death in different times and cultures. Contrary to what one might think, the father and his smart daughter approach their topic with such fearlessness, curiosity and humour that their world tour of the last things becomes a lively and highly entertaining tour d'horizon of natural and cultural science: of physical death, ideas of the afterlife, death as a creative motor, as a business and a political issue ... Rarely do you get such complex, profound and curious things presented in such a short time with such lightness of touch.
Andreas Furler