Obit.

At a time when established news outlets like the New York Times have come under increasing political attack, Vanessa Gould's documentary offers an enlightening portrait of the seriousness—and humanity—with which staffers in one of the Gray Lady's key departments approach their work. The journalists who write the obituaries for the newspaper are dedicated not only to accuracy but they also exhibit empathy and strive for literary quality. They respectfully contact survivors and other sources to collect illuminating details (and also to obtain confirmation of death—an absolute prerequisite given an earlier notorious mistake). And they connect with the paper's archives—a huge collection of clippings from past issues—for information (which gives Gould the opportunity to introduce Jeff Roth, who presides over the makeshift library and describes his work in a wryly self-deprecating tone). Obit. nicely conveys the attachment that the various writers develop for their assigned subjects as they make cases for expanded word counts with their editor, who occasionally argues for front-page placement of obituaries in full editorial meetings. The ultimate message of Gould's film is that when well crafted, an obituary is not so much a notice of death as it is a celebration of a life, an aim that the obituary writers at the Times are clearly dedicated to achieving. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)