SCREENING IN THE BERNARD OSHER FOUNDATION AUDITORIUM
“Unexpectedly — and astutely — Lorentzen emphasizes not the emotional support these workers give, but the support they need to soldier on… It’s human and messy – and it’s divine.”
93 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Luke Lorentzen. In English. DCP.
Winner, U.S. Documentary Directing Award, 2023 Sundance Film Festival
One of the year’s ten best films. - The New York Times
Shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards.
In most US hospitals, alongside medical responses to illness and injury, lesser-known interventions take place every day. Responding to patients, family members and hospital staff who are experiencing spiritual and emotional distress, chaplains sit at bedsides, helping people to deepen connections with themselves, one another, and a world beyond this one.
A Still Small Voice follows Mati, a chaplain completing a year-long residency at New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital, as she learns to provide spiritual care to people confronting profound life changes. Following his acclaimed 2019 film Midnight Family, director Luke Lorentzen digs into Mati’s spiritual work as an entry point to explore how we seek meaning in suffering, uncertainty, and grief.
Through Mati’s experiences with her patients, her struggle with professional burnout, and her own spiritual questioning, we gain new perspectives on how meaningful connection can be and how painful its absence is. As Mati and her patients take stock of their lives and experiences, space opens up to reflect on our own.