Flight from Death
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| Flight from Death | |
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| Directed by | Patrick Shen |
| Produced by | Patrick Shen Greg Bennick |
| Written by | Patrick Shen |
| Release date(s) | September 6, 2006 |
| Running time | 89 min. |
| Language | English |
Directed by Patrick Shen, and narrated by Gabriel Byrne, Flight from Death is a documentary that investigates the relationship of human violence to fear of death, as related to subconscious influences. The film describes death anxiety as a possible root cause of many of our behaviors on a psychological, spiritual, and cultural level.
Hailed by some viewers as a "life-transformational film," Flight from Death is a seven-time Best Documentary award-winning film.
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[edit] Summary
The film's purpose is to investigate humankind's relationship with death, and is heavily influenced by the views of cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker. In addition to interviews with a number of contemporary philosophers, psychiatrists and teachers such as Sam Keen, Robert J. Lifton, Irvin Yalom, Merlyn Mowrey and Daniel Liechty, the film introduces the viewer to a group of social psychologists, who conduct research in support of what they call Terror Management Theory (terror in this case not being terrorism, but rather emotional and psychological reaction to mortality awareness). Over the last twenty-five years, proponents of terror management theory have conducted over 300 laboratory studies demonstrating that subtle reminders of death on a subconscious level motivates a statistically significant number of subjects to exhibit biased and xenophobic type behaviors, such as gravitating toward those who they perceive as culturally similar to themselves and holding higher negative feelings and judgments toward those they perceive as culturally dissimilar to themselves.
[edit] Studies & Research
In a recent study, the research team discovered that reminding Palestinians of their own death through subconscious means inspired conscious shifts in opinion towards wanting to become suicide bombers. This subconscious death reminder inspired the subjects to act aggressively against differing others, even at the risk of losing their own lives. Terror is the result of deep psychological forces; the research described in Flight from Death suggests that these forces can be explained, yielding information about personal anxiety and the motivation of social violence.
[edit] Recognition & Awards
Flight from Death was recognized with Best Documentary awards at the 2004 Rhode Island International Film Festival, the 2004 Malibu Film Festival, the 2004 Seattle Northwest Film Forum, the 2004 Northern Lights Documentary Film Festival, the 2003 Beverly Hills Film Festival, the 2003 Silver Lake film Festival, and the 2003 Ohio Independent Film Festival.
[edit] Words from the Producers
Greg Bennick says, "This is a critically important film, given the state of our world." Patrick Shen adds, "The timing couldn't be more perfect for the release of a film that sheds light on how and why humans are drawn towards violence on a deep psychological level."
[edit] Film Review Quotes:
"Flight from Death is something everyone needs to see, so that maybe, just maybe, we can make our peace with death and get on with living." --Eric Campos, Film Threat
"Flight from Death is a stimulating, ultimately life-affirming film filled with big ideas and revelatory footage." --Seattle Times
"If you see it alone, you'll be thinking about it for days. If you see it with a friend, you'll be talking about it for weeks." --Gerry Krochak, Leader-Post
"Flight from Death is a beautifully conceived documentary, sharp, accessible and timely. The skillful examination of violence in our world intended for a widespread audience, without diluting its power, is an excellent example of what can be done by artists driven to create, even in the obscenely constrained and costly world of American film." --Inside Front
[edit] Related Info:
The Denial of Death (ISBN 0-684-83240-2) written by Ernest Becker
Many of the people interviewed in the film are involved with Terror Management Theory Pyszczynski, T., Solomon, S., & Greenberg, J. (2002). In the wake of 9/11: The psychology of terror. American Psychological Association.
Psychohistorian Robert Jay Lifton is interviewed in this film.
