Gates of Heaven

Gates of Heaven

Errol Morris is an endlessly fascinating documentary filmmaker. From bizarre town pieces like Vernon, Florida to films that actually change lives like The Thin Blue Line, Morris loves focusing on the bizarre nature of humanity above anything else.

All about pet cemeteries and the people who are connected to them, Gates of Heaven is one of Roger Ebert's top 10 favorite films of all time, and he has some very deep thoughts on it that one should definitely look up and read. This is only my first time watching it, so these are just my initial reactions. I'd love to watch it again to get more out of it than I did this first time, because after reading Ebert's thoughts I feel like I missed out on what makes this film great.

What's great about this movie (as is the case with any Morris film) is that it's done in such an objective way that it would be very easy to see people thinking this is hilarious and ridiculous or genuinely sweet and relatable. There's no feeling of judgement or taunting, though he is recording what these specific people had to say and distributing it for the public and probably knew full-well how audiences would react.

What Ebert took from this film (and why I need to watch it again a bit more carefully) are the thoughts these Northern Californians have on death. These people aren't philosophers, and some of them don't even seem completely stable, but there's a simple beauty to how they discuss mortality through these dead pets that's so honest and eye-opening it's hard not to be pulled in by what they have to say.

Whether you're watching it to laugh or to learn more about death or both, there's something that everyone can takeaway from this wonderfully strange documentary. Just be warned that the film is entirely made up of interviews, so if you don't want to hear people talk for an hour and a half then this is not for you. Otherwise, enjoy!