Uncoupled: Dealing with the Death of a Spouse 2006
Distributed by Fanlight Productions, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Teaching & Learning Centre, University of Calgary and Fred Fountain
Directed by Fred Fountain
DVD, color, 24 min.
College - Adult
Psychology, Grief, Grief Therapy
Date Entered: 10/14/2009
Reviewed by Carolyn Walden, Mervyn H. Sterne Library, University of Alabama at Birmingham“When a spouse dies, those left behind embark on an unfamiliar journey, a journey that suspends them between a past that is longed for and a future unclear.” Viewers meet Charlotte, Deborah, Jamie, and Mark as they share personal experiences in managing love, loss, and grief after the death of their spouses. The experiences center on eight specific areas and are chaptered for classroom discussions including conversations emphasizing what happened, the early daze, unhelpful advice, what helps, uncoupled-adjusting to being single, belongings, memories, and turning a page.
Following the format of A Family Disrupted, another documentary film in the Fanlight Productions Grief and Bereavement Series, each bereaved spouse provides answers to questions we do not hear but are directed toward an invisible interviewer. This film transports the viewer directly into the heart of grief and loss. The viewer sees only one spouse during each discussion allowing for a close, thoughtful, and sincere memory from each personal reflection. Although the film is short, the smooth transitions for the four bereaved spouses provides similar themes from different voices. Reflections on unhelpful advice, adjustments to being single, and the individual approaches to managing the loss of the spouse continue the focus on the personal stories and the feelings associated with them.
While the subject of the film is haunting and compelling, love shines throughout the film. The journey through the 8 areas concludes on a positive, hopeful note as each spouse shares how they are learning to “turn a new page” on their life journey without the spouse. This creative presentation of grief and loss should result in viewers becoming more knowledgeable and possibly more empathetic about the subject. The use of appropriate music and graphics adds a nice layer of texture to the film. Highly recommended for collections in psychology, grief and grief therapy.