ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
MEMENTO MORI embarks on a profound journey into the universal experience of death, asking “how does one die well?” Through a blend of documentary, music, and magical realism, this genre-defying film explores societal attitudes toward mortality as characters navigate ancient rituals and modern dilemmas within a changing world.

SYNOPSIS
The need to talk about death is prescient. The way Western society handles death and dying is broken. A wider conversation around death practices worldwide, responding to climate change, our connection to nature, and a growing aging population is imminent.

So often we see the $20 billion funeral industry complex turn bereaved individuals’ grief into corporate profits. Most modern burial practices distance us from nature and poison the earth. The technicians who vanish the dead behind closed doors rob families of the valuable experience of mourning. The ability to obtain a good death differs drastically across race, gender, and socioeconomic lines.

Meanwhile, the relentless pursuit of life-extending scientific technologies proposes new possibilities that could challenge the very notion of mortality. How are these advancements viewed through a cultural and spiritual lens?

At the core of the documentary MEMENTO MORI lies a profound exploration of what it means to die well in the midst of a rapidly changing world. Through the intimate journeys of five remarkable characters, each representing diverse cultural perspectives, the film delves deeply into the complexities of mortality within an evolving cultural landscape.

Interwoven with the character’s journeys are fantastical sequences that transport viewers into their innermost thoughts and emotions. Through mesmerizing dance, musical performances, and evocative animation, viewers are transported into realms where mortality intersects with the mystical and the profound. Engaging the fantastical infused with the emotional power of music, audiences experience the subject of death in a new light, seeing both the humor, reverence, and grace, that comes through facing our mortality head-on.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

DIRECTOR Briar March
SCREENWRITER Briar March, Alyx Duncan, Karen Sydney
PRODUCER Briar March, Alyx Duncan
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Alexander Behse