Educational Media Reviews Online

Befriend your death to be strongly in your life. – Steve Jenkinson

In Griefwalker, director Tim Wilson explores his own near death experience, sparked by a remark from his friend and counselor Steve Jenkinson. He delves into the words and teachings of Mr. Jenkinson, illustrating them with beautiful cinematography and a lovely musical score. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School as well as the social work program at the University of Toronto, Mr. Jenkinson helps people be present in their lives by accepting their death. His beliefs are a unique blend of his educational background and Canadian aboriginal culture and customs.

The primary message he imparts is that in order to be fully rooted in life, you must accept and embrace death. Western cultures have sanitized and prolonged the process of death and dying—pushing it further and further away from our everyday reality. Death is a natural part of our living existence and to deny it is to deny our life. Mr. Jenkinson’s views, while they may seem odd or esoteric or even scary, they reflect a simple notion of balance present in many cultures’ belief systems. He explains that it is not human to fear death. Acceptance of death as part of life is at the root of our essential existence and helps make us whole.

Director Wilson has included Mr. Jenkinson’s visits to clients who are close to death—those who are themselves dying, and couples losing a child. Watching these sessions and the application of Mr. Jenkinson’s talents, the message he imparts comes through clearly, openly, and lovingly. He uses lots of different imagery to get his ideas across, and all of it is adapted to the particular situation. Griefwalker delves into death, dying, and grief in various circumstances, and at the end is the realization that it is all about life.

This is a poetic film. Wilson uses striking nature scenes to exemplify the inherent “naturalness” of Mr. Jenkinson’s work. He uses lighting and sound to eloquently express the quiet acceptance of what is occurring in each scene. Griefwalker is highly recommended for academic library collections supporting health sciences, social work, psychology, religious studies, and philosophy programs. The 70 minute running time is on the long side for classroom use.