The Undertaking Movie Essay

The film titled "The Undertaking" gives the viewers an intimate inside look at everyday activities and operations that take place at a funeral home. Thomas Lynch, one of the main characters in the film, is a funeral director of a funeral home in a small town in Michigan, that has been a family business for many generations. Lynch, as well as nearly all his family members, are involved in the funeral business, which they pride themselves on with great honor and satisfaction. Mr. Lynch is also a writer and a poet who often writes about his experiences, and many of his poems are heard throughout the movie creating a melancholic and a rather serious feel. Throughout the film, the viewers are introduced to many of the processes that take place …show more content…
Throughout the film, we are acquainted with several other families and their personal experiences of death and dying with the culmination at the Lynch funeral home. One of the stories introduced is that of a young couple, Nevada and Anthony Verrino, who are preparing for the departure of their two-year-old son Anthony who is expected to die any moment from a rare genetic condition that he was born with. The film shows several interviews with the young parents and their attempts in trying to come to terms with what seems inevitable. At the end of the movie, the couple is shown carrying their son's casket and lowering it to the ground, an act that was significantly important for them to be a part of. Another story that the film illustrates is one of an 84-year-old Mary Leonard who is shown spending her last days in hospice after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Anne Beardsley, the woman's niece is shown giving interviews about her aunt, the life she lived, and her last dying wishes. Finally, we meet Mr. Robert Kelly who, at age 85, meets with one of the Lynch funeral directors to discuss plans for his own funeral. From the conversation, it is quite clear that Mr. Kelly has exactly planned his last journey precisely specifying his wishes regarding the …show more content…
Even though I am personally apprehensive of facing people who are dead, I have always been curious about the activities that take place in a funeral home and the procedures that people's bodies are exposed to during the process of being prepared for the last journey. Thanks to the film, I was pleased to learn that dead people are revered and treated with much respect by the members of the funeral home, and I can only hope that this is the case in most of the mortuary facilities. In addition, I was also able to identify a few concepts that pertained to the material so far learned in the course. One of the concepts was the idea of the ‘mature concept of death,' which can be seen in the way that the young couple deals with the imminent death of their young child. Even though the parents are aware of their child's declining state, they are able to focus on preparing for the child's final journey by meeting with the funeral director and making future arrangements. In addition, the parents' attitude is that of appreciation and gratitude for the time spent with their young son despite the pain that is clearly evident in the hearts and on their faces. Another concept present in the film that was covered in the course was the idea of spending one's last days in the hospice. In the case of the 84-year -old Mary Leonard, we get a glimpse into the woman's final days, which she spends in a homelike, quiet