4 stars out of 5
Some people call me the Grim Reaper. (Some call me the Gangster of Love.) And all because I have a habit of posting death notices of prominent people on Facebook. That’s the public me. But in private, I’ve long enjoyed reading obituaries, specifically in the New York Times. A longtime pre-gym ritual for me has been printing out interesting articles from the day’s paper, and then reading them during my workout. The obituaries section has always been one I’ve checked. Favorite famous people, sure, but the best ones have been people I didn’t know a thing about, who had led fascinating lives. So Obit, a documentary about the Times‘ obituary department, seemed like the perfect movie for me. It did not disappoint.
We learn that the obituaries desk was traditionally the “graveyard” for older reporters who they didn’t want to fire. And though that’s apparently no longer the case, it was interesting to see that — excuse me again — the skeleton crew portrayed in the film were primarily veteran Times staffers, moved from other departments.
The movie, almost entirely filmed on December 10, 2014, effectively conveys the importance of, ugh, deadlines. (Sorry.) The reporters come in to work having no idea who they’ll be writing about. Some subjects will politely die in the morning, giving the writer all day to craft the obit. Other news doesn’t reach them till the afternoon. Regardless, most obituaries have to be in by 6 p.m. (7:30 or 8 for a major death).
Reporters tend to be caring, thoughtful people, and this is very true for the obituaries staffers we meet. I suppose Bruce Weber is the “star” of the movie in terms of screen time. We see him conducting phone interviews with the deceased’s family members, striving to get the facts right. He comes across as a real mensch, and a bit of a lovable schlub. There’s Margalit Fox, explaining how obits have gotten less sedate over the decades, and how they’ll get more diverse in the future. Bill McDonald is the department head and seems like a good guy but you definitely know he’s the boss, from his demeanor and his attire. Paul Vitello, struggling to write a lead worthy of the ad man he’s profiling, oozes humanity. William Grimes, who always makes me think about “Grimey” from The Simpsons, delivers what is perhaps the film’s best line, regarding his profession: “It’s a once-only chance to make the dead live again.”
Another star of Obit is Jeff Roth, the sole remaining employee down in “The Morgue.” (Again with the death words!) This is the repository of clip files and photographs from the vast history of the Times, especially useful for obituary writers. He’s funny, down-to-earth, totally dedicated to his job, and is in many ways the heart of the film.
In the credits, we get an Animal House-esque rundown of the statuses of people we’ve seen. I was sad to learn that a few are now former Times employees. Early in the film, we hear that there were already “very few” people who do this work. So I truly hope that attrition and ever-changing media tastes don’t… ok one more… kill the Times’ obit desk. But if ever it does happen, this documentary will serve as a fine remembrance.
Jack Silbert, curator