Faces of Death

The film is anchored in Los Angeles, with scenes set in the Los Angeles County coroner's office and other medical settings that illustrate how death is processed. It also travels to Louisville, Kentucky, to depict a disturbing segment involving a venomous snake cult. Across hospitals, morgues, crime scenes, and accident sites, the imagery contrasts everyday life with the visceral realities of death.

💀 Death Reality

Faces of Death treats death as a constant, not a distant concept, by juxtaposing animal fatalities, assassinations, war footage, accidents, and suicides. Gröss’s narration invites viewers to confront death as a perceptible phenomenon rather than a distant abstraction. The film questions whether medical and scientific depictions soften the horror or deepen the understanding of mortality. Ultimately, death is presented as a transitional state, not an absolute end.

⚖️ Ethics of Violence

The montage of killers, political violence, and criminal acts raises moral questions about responsibility, causality, and justification. It asks whether society bears some blame for the circumstances that give rise to murder and atrocity. The contrast between killing for money, political motives, or senseless violence challenges viewers to weigh justice, vengeance, and humanity. The ethical ambiguity is left for the viewer to interpret.

👻 Afterlife and Belief

Segments exploring paranormal phenomena and the belief in spirits introduce the idea that death might not be the end. Parapsychologists and conversations about ghosts with architect Joseph Binder frame death as a possible continuation of presence beyond physical life. The film suggests that the soul or memory can endure as a traveler, inviting contemplation rather than definitive answers. It closes with a hopeful contrast between birth and blissful moments of family and arrival.