Henna Taylor (USA)
A Thousand Ways To Kiss The Ground
- Language
- Englisch mit deutschen Untertiteln
- Dauer
- 23 min
- Director
- Henna Taylor (USA)
- Category
-
Sports in Mountains & Nature
- Program
- Awards
-
Kamera Alpin in Gold 2020
The director presents the dangerous side of the climbing sport in a formal term, in the report of the mourning bereaved relatives of athletes, who had fatal accidents when practicing their sport. However, the positive attitude towards life which is the basis of this activity which produces top achievements, but which can also end fatally, remains visible. The confrontation with death is dealt with individually each time. Without slipping into “grief pornography” intimacy is created in the film when partners, who were not present at the accidents themselves, talk about how they deal with their loss. The underlying message is not exclusively limited to climbing.
This film is about those who are left behind, their initial experience and impact of loss, their unique journey with grief, and their thoughts on addiction, avoidance, depression and risk. The climbing community has historically been a culture of "tough skin" and "moving on" but this is changing as the culture attempts to move forward by integrating grief more gracefully into the mainstream of this sport. The combined narratives showcased in this film, offer the perspective that there is no single, or correct way to deal with an experience of grief and loss. This conversation is complex, vulnerable, highly individual, and incredibly important to the health of any community, especially one that experiences this type of event frequently. Through this film we explore the paradox of grief, mirroring this complexity back to our community in the hopes of opening up the conversation surrounding grief and the grieving process to everyone who watches the film.
