Witnessing Death: A grandson's reflections

by David Rosenthal
About David Screenings Credits Links Extra

Witnessing Death: a grandson’s reflections (27 min) is a short video piece made by medical student David Rosenthal about his grandfather Kurt Rosenthal. By interweaving his grandfather’s struggle with Alzheimer’s, the personal experiences of certified nursing aides, and interviews with clinical experts and medical ethicists, the video functions as both a personal memoir and as a dialogue on end-of-life issues.

***Updates***
4/12 - Read review of the film featured on Sparrowpost.net
4/12 - Read Interview with Filmmaker

Quotes
"It is wonderful and I feel privileged to have seen it."
-Ira Byock, M.D.
Director of Palliative Medicine
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Author of "Dying Well" and "The Four Things That Matter Most: A Book About Living"

"David Rosenthal’s new short film “Witnessing Death” is a powerful, inquisitive film essay about the death of the filmmaker’s Grandfather, Kurt Rosenthal from Alzheimer's. In contrast to our habitual, perhaps even socially mandated tendency to sweep the details of death under the rug until we must personally confront them in silence, “Witnessing Death” addresses them with a lucid honesty that does justice not only to the difficulty of dying, but also to the way the process defines us as family, community and culture."
-Carla Blackmar
Sparrowpost.net

"This film beautifully captures the experiences of those who provide intimate and important care for patients facing the end of life: nurses and clinical nursing assistants. By combining their voices with his own experience as a family member and with the experiences of physicians and bioethicists, David Rosenthal has given us a valuable tool for learning and understanding."
- Joshua Hauser, M.D.
Instructor in Medicine and Palliative Care, Associate Physician with the Education for Physicians on End of Life Care (EPEC) Project

"In Witnessing Death, David Rosenthal uses his own experience of his grandfather's death to structure an exploration of the meaning of witnessing death, both to direct care workers and to academic and clinical experts on end-of-life care. The result is an excellent integration of emotional and intellectual stances toward approaching death, in which nurse's aides' perceptions provide a middle ground between the too-near family experience and the too-distant experts."
- Celia Berdes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Northwestern University, Director of Research - Presbyterian Homes

"Your filming and commentary were so real, so tender. Thank you for sharing yourself so authentically. My husband’s mother has Alzheimer’s so I found it highly relevant and very moving. I don’t even know you and yet I felt so proud of you for taking action, acknowledging your desire to have closure with both your grandfathers and sharing your work so that others can hopefully handle death better."
-Susan, Coral Gables FL

"I attended your showing of Witnessing Death: A Grandson's Reflections when you presented it at Presbyterian Homes. I found it exceptionally well-done and powerful. I found your piece exceptionally moving, and just wanted to tell you that. Good luck in your medical studies."
-Rachel, Skokie, IL