Benjamin Franklin once declared that the only certainties if life were death and taxes and whilst we’re sure plenty of writers out there are feverishly working away on their next tax-based narrative (anyone??), it’s dying that seems to be the most commonly covered of these subjects in storytelling. The Latest filmmaker to attempt to capture the expiry of life, and what happens next, on-screen is Short of the Week favourite Malcolm Sutherland, in his contemplative and touching film Deathsong.

Whether you believe in Heaven/Hell, reincarnation or nothing at all, what happens when we die is one of life’s biggest mysteries. Whatever your nationality, religion or social status, death is undoubtedly inevitable – never fear though, here to help you prepare for this journey into the unknown is this latest captivating short from Sutherland. The story of a monk passing away and his journey into the next life, we experience this voyage through the eyes of this religious figure in what turns out to be a moving and memorable short film experience.

Unknown journeys seem to be a common theme in Sutherland’s work – his 2010 short Umbra follows an explorer into a mysterious world and his latest film shares a lot of similar qualities with that film. Like a lot of his work, Deathsong employs a minimalist style, but probably more noticeable is the reflective, meditative tone once again present in his filmmaking. Sutherland’s films never seem to be insistent on making their audiences take a particular reading from their stories, opting for subtlety in the storytelling, instead of hammering home the obvious. His films always seem to allow space to contemplate and reflect when watching them and that’s surely a sign of a filmmaker supremely confident in his work and his stories. Combine this approach to delivery with his recognisable style (something he attributes to an obsession with a B&W Ninja Turtles comic book he loved when growing up) it’s hard to deny that Sutherland has become one of most of the recognisable animators working in the short film arena (and one of my personal favourites).

Although we missed featuring Sutherland’s previous film StormJumper (another thought-provoking piece) on Short of the Week, it’s great to see his work back on our site. Admittedly, Deathsong won’t be everyone’s cup-of-tea – those looking for more of a traditional narrative might be disappointed – but its lack of dialogue and ubiquitous themes means it’s a film with universal appeal and scope to reach/touch a broad audience and it’s this universality I always really love and admire in his work.