Flight from Death (Movie Review)

I'm hopelessly behind on about a gazillion things, and — sadly — don't have the time to do this documentary justice while it's still fresh in my brain.

Rather, allow me just to say that if you've ever wondered why (not how, but why) civilizations exist, or you've ever wondered why people get married and have families and spend their days occupied by everything (or so they think) other than their ultimate fate, you should read Ernest Becker's amazing text, Denial of Death.

Just don't blame me for the long lasting side effects, which include a certain clarity about life that revolves around our mortal conclusion.

And then, after you've read that once. Or twice. Or maybe three times.

Watch the documentary that was inspired by Becker's philosophical treatise. That's where Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality (2003) comes into play. The film has its gaps and shortcomings, but for the most part it offers a fairly accurate visual interpretation of Denial — a text which is not the least bit short of genius.

FINAL GRADE: B+