I Want to Let You Know That I Love You
Death is a big mystery and yet the outcome is 100 percent certain. At age 60, all I knew was that it is scary and I'm not prepared. Was there something I could learn by facing mortality? A door opened…
I Want to Let You Know That I Love You
Death is a big mystery and yet the outcome is 100 percent certain. At age 60, all I knew was that it is scary and I'm not prepared. Was there something I could learn by facing mortality? A door opened when Clair, my mother's 92-year old "lover", was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I asked his permission to film. He welcomed me into a sacred and challenging time of goodbyes and letting go. What a revelation: Clair was still living, even while dying. Another door opened. My friend "AvYitz" reacted to his terminal diagnosis by writing and performing stand-up comedy about dying. He too allowed me to walk alongside him with a camera. He was younger than me, determined to enjoy every last minute with gusto. With death on my mind, my husband and I arrived in Australia for a house exchange. We met with a Deathwalker (death midwife) named Zenith. She reminded me of the randomness of death, and the importance of living each moment consciously. My journey also led me to an Aboriginal elder, Uncle Bob Randall, who told me that dying is like walking through a doorway to an unseen world. Another door opened. I met Azul, who wanted to share his spiritual approach to dying, a year past when he "should've" died. For him death was like meditating, "drop body, drop mind." And then, Don Offill, one of my tango partners, called to say that his death was imminent. Just before taking the medication prescribed by the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, Don surprised me by saying, "Cathy, death doesn't have to be sad." Along the way I discovered that conversations about death are the best way to prepare for the end of life. So I filmed myself and my mom talking about her plans for the end of life. Difficult as it might be, these conversations are a gift to our friends and families, essential whether we are ready or not. The more I delved into death the more I was called to life; noticing it's inextricable cycles, bringing awareness to the preciousness of every moment and the importance of gratitude. This personal film is an invitation to essential deep conversations as we re-imagine our own inevitable endings. The gift of confronting death is that it changes the meaning of everything.
I Want to Let You Know That I Love You
Animation,Drama,Romance
Film Details
Death is a big mystery and yet the outcome is 100 percent certain. At age 60, all I knew was that it is scary and I'm not prepared. Was there something I could learn by facing mortality? A door opened when Clair, my mother's 92-year old "lover", was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
I asked his permission to film. He welcomed me into a sacred and challenging time of goodbyes and letting go. What a revelation: Clair was still living, even while dying.
Another door opened. My friend "AvYitz" reacted to his terminal diagnosis by writing and performing stand-up comedy about dying. He too allowed me to walk alongside him with a camera.
He was younger than me, determined to enjoy every last minute with gusto. With death on my mind, my husband and I arrived in Australia for a house exchange. We met with a Deathwalker (death midwife) named Zenith.
She reminded me of the randomness of death, and the importance of living each moment consciously. My journey also led me to an Aboriginal elder, Uncle Bob Randall, who told me that dying is like walking through a doorway to an unseen world. Another door opened.
I met Azul, who wanted to share his spiritual approach to dying, a year past when he "should've" died. For him death was like meditating, "drop body, drop mind." And then, Don Offill, one of my tango partners, called to say that his death was imminent. Just before taking the medication prescribed by the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, Don surprised me by saying, "Cathy, death doesn't have to be sad." Along the way I discovered that conversations about death are the best way to prepare for the end of life.
So I filmed myself and my mom talking about her plans for the end of life. Difficult as it might be, these conversations are a gift to our friends and families, essential whether we are ready or not. The more I delved into death the more I was called to life; noticing it's inextricable cycles, bringing awareness to the preciousness of every moment and the importance of gratitude.
This personal film is an invitation to essential deep conversations as we re-imagine our own inevitable endings. The gift of confronting death is that it changes the meaning of everything..