Chris Farina began working on his latest documentary ten years ago, but other projects got in the way. Then, four years ago, he was diagnosed with a deadly neurological disease.
“ALS is brutal," says his friend Peter Thompson.
It has robbed Farina of his voice, so Thompson is speaking for him. He used to run Charlottesville’s senior center and is now helping Farina to finish a film called Death Becomes Us and Hands Are With Us.
“Having worked 24 years at the Center at Belvedere, I really became more aware how dysfunctional our relationship is in the United States with aging, with death and with dying. We suffer from that dysfunction, because we don’t talk about it, we don’t plan, we don’t know what to do. It’s not human nature to be that frightened of death and dying. There are cultures that deal with it much differently than the United States. We can do better.”
And fellow documentary maker, Paul Wagner, says Farina explores the subject in a novel way.
“He touches on the process of dying – including leading up to the moment of death and the events after death, and the way he approaches that is really ingenious. He talks to the people who provide those services."
“I’m reminded daily that we are mortal creatures – that even with all our modern medicine and all of our technology, there is mystery at the beginning of life and at the end of life, and that’s part of what it is to be human,” says one source.
“My practice and how I think about it is to be really aware that our time on this planet is not forever, and I don’t think that’s a depressing thing. It’s not about how we’re going to die but really how are we going to live?” asks another.
“This is our last rite of passage. This is a sacred moment. This is something we will all face, and so it’s imperative that we – as a society – face our own fears of death," a third concludes.
Farina hopes the film will be broadcast on public television, but Wagner says it could also be shown to community groups.
“This is really going to be a fabulous film for starting discussions about the thing we all face, and it puts a positive and encouraging spin on it," Wagner says.
Some volunteers are working on a discussion guide while Wagner and Thompson try to raise money to finish editing the film. Despite its subject, they say, it’s going to make some people feel good, and they credit Chris Farina – a guy with a great smile and a strong sense of gratitude for the help he and his family have received during his illness.
“It can be scary for people. It doesn’t need to be. It’s not helpful to be, and that add-on of “And Hands Are with Us” – there is power with us that will help us through this if we ask for it and allow it to happen." Thompson explains. "I think it is an important message for Chris,”
“It’s not morbid. It’s not morose. It’s life-affirming, actually. A lot of that is due to Chris’s spirit and his positivity.”
Last year, Farina won a lifetime achievement award from the Virginia Film Festival. He hopes his last film will debut there in October.
For more information, go to:
https://rosaliafilms.com
and