A funeral co-op in a steel town? This doc will bury your cynicism.
A big hearted community celebrates life by fronting up to death. Set against the stunning backdrop of the industrial seaside town of Port Kembla, a feisty and resilient community group have determined to take back the responsibility that most of us leave to someone else — to care for their own dead. Scattered throughout are stories that cut to the core revealing why this small band have decided to take on a practice that for most is taboo. As their plans for community-based funerals gather momentum one of their own is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Tender is at once a heartbreakingly beautiful and beautifully funny glimpse of an extraordinary community taking on one of the most essential challenges of human life … its end.
Direction
Wallworth captures intimacy without exploiting grief.
Production
Port Kembla's rusted beauty becomes a character itself.
Director
Lynette Wallworth
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Port Kembla community funeral movement emerged from working-class traditions of mutual aid, rejecting corporate funeral homes that often exploit grief. The film helped spark international death-positive discussions.
AU
