A conversation with ‘Hotel Salvation’
These are the slides from a seminar that explores the metaphor of having a ‘conversation’ with a film using Hotel Salvation as a case study.
Mark Kermode’s preview of Hotel Salvation for the BFI.
*Image & video posted for non commercial purposes under 'fair use' of copyright material in recommendation of the film
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How does one die well? It’s a question we should all consider, as uncomfortable as it makes us feel. This gently moving film, full of faces and colors and the sounds of daily life, gave me some clues. I felt the growing freedom that came from loving reconciliation, I sensed the joy that came with embracing the present moment, and I saw the beauty of companionship along the way. My own memories of walking with my mother and my father in their final days before their deaths returned afresh, full of ache and longing. I am grateful they died well because, perhaps, they had learned what it meant to live well.
I loved your conversational approach to this film. It brought me to a rather gentle conversation with myself as I wondered about the eventual circumstances of my own death, who will be there, how I will be celebrated/mourned, etc. Overall, I found the film to present dying as a natural compliment to life – sort of the final exhale that began at birth as an inhale, now balanced and complete. Then what follows death, as the character in the film describes it, can only be imagined. For this level of imagination, you need a new set of wings to get off the ground. For now, I’m more than happy to stay on the ground!
A good companion piece to this film might be Nebraska (2013). Both stories share a strained father-son relationship as the father approaches the end of his life. Both are a road movie of sorts, the physical journey expressing the emotional or spiritual journey of the travellers. Both are stylised in such a way as to draw us into the characters and their worlds. I wonder how we could host a conversation these films might have with each other.
I can see how Nebraska would sit well as a companion / comparison for this film – great recommendation, thanks