I watched Errol Morris' superb "Gates of Heaven" this week. It's been quite a long time since I've seen it and it certainly resonated far more with me than when I first saw it 10 years ago as a 20 year old kid.
As is the case with Morris' brilliant "Fast, Cheap and Out of Control", the premise of "Gates of Heaven" is not terribly enticing on the surface. It chronicles the lives of the proprietors of two pet cemeteries in Northern California. The first half is focused on Floyd McClure, who can be viewed as the small business owner in this world. He wants to give pets "graceful burials" and is competing with the Harberts family, who operate a rendering plant, which turns animal tissue into usable materials. Of course, both McClure and the Harberts family believe their way is the most just, as is the case with most industries. McClure speaks about pet burial with a level of interest that most people will never achieve regarding any subject.
The second half focuses mostly on the Harberts family, with the father and the mother interviewed together and the sons interviewed independent from their other family members. The father is more pragmatic while the mother is more philosophical in her beliefs. It almost seems as if McClure would be the perfect match for her, as both view the pet cemetery business in more fantastical terms than her husband. Their youngest son, Dan, is a quiet, introspective man who plays guitar, while oldest son Phil is an aggressively positive man who quotes self-help gurus in an effort to mask what seems to be lingering sadness. Both are very earnest in helping to carry on their father's business, which is to be admired.
Morris is a master of the understated, at allowing the camera and his subject matter do the work for him. The characters in the film are ordinary people, but express hope, sadness, humor, and sincerity in ways that are profound. The film is an open-ended meditation on the questions of the afterlife as well, but achieves it about as organically as possible. The characters are so rich over the short running time (82 minutes) that it almost feels impossible that this film is non-fiction. As is the case with many of Morris' documentaries, the film takes a seemingly very specific subject matter and uses it to expand on a number of very profound ideas. But Morris is so unobtrusive as a filmmaker that it feels remarkably unforced. It also achieves a certain comical surrealism that adds to the level of complexity.
The film has been accused of mocking its subjects, which I find to be completely off-base. It allows its subjects to expound on a variety of subjects and they are often articulate and humorous in their observations. They've found a particular niche, a passion, which is what most people strive for. As outside of the mainstream as the niche is, it serves as something that gives them a sense of purpose. In his interview in the bonus features, Morris explains that he never sees himself as above the people he focuses on his documentaries, but is instead fascinated by them.
Morris' subsequent documentary, "Vernon, Florida", is also included on this disc. It's very good, albeit much slighter than "Gates of Heaven". I won't expand on that too much, as "Gates of Heaven" is the primary reason to pick up this disc IMO. But "Vernon, Florida" is a great added incentive to pick it up.
Last edited by mja345; 03-24-2018 at 08:25 AM.
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