Talking about death is difficult. And yet not talking about death can sometimes be more difficult.
In her film, “A shared space”, Schwenk approaches the subject side-on by showing us death from the perspective of two grave diggers. Our protagonists have been preparing graves for more than 20 years, and for them death is a very normal part of life. They enjoy their job and take pride in burying the dead.
The film starts by showing us a graveyard on a beautiful serene day. The birds are chirping and the sun is shining. The grave diggers work in a quiet and harmonious way and their movements almost seem choreographed as they prepare the burial site. Today, however, there is an unexpected outcome. Something the grave diggers have never experienced. There is another body buried in the plot they are preparing. The film takes an unexpected turn as we watch how the burial proceeds.