The Funeral

I am familiar with loss, perhaps too familiar. This might be a little morbid but I laugh in the face of death. I’ve recognized that finding humor in death has kept me from shutting down completely. As someone who has lost both parents and all grandparents this early, I know what being truly alone in the world is. Perhaps all this is what drew me to the story in The Funeral. This is the story of a girl who dies abruptly but has also come to terms with that fact. She is happy to move on with the assumption that she won’t be missed. However, she comes to realize that her death affects people in ways she could never imagine.

Thematically, the story is influenced by life, death, and gratitude. As we see in Rita’s case, our relationships can always be misinterpreted because we never really know what people think or how they feel about us. It’s not until death that we see the truth and then it’s too late. This brings us to a place where gratitude is important.

The film is to be shot in black and white in a 4:3 aspect ratio to represent Rita’s point of view. We’ll employ the use of the 16:9 aspect ratio and return color once Rita’s mindset has changed to be more accommodating of the people around her. Using a mostly static camera that moves with Rita’s POV, we’ll employ carefully choreographed long takes and a range of motivated shots to adequately tell the story. Films to be used as references include Frank Oz’s “Death at a Funeral” for mood and its American counterpart for tone. An important reference is Jim Cummings’ “Thunder Road” for its subject matter and cinematography.

We need to appreciate the life we live and the people around us. This is the lesson Rita ultimately learns too late. That is what I want audiences to take away from this film. We must learn to think about others and what they go through so as to see the world objectively and optimistically.