90 | SEPTEMBER 22 • 2022 

ARTS&LIFE
FILM REVIEW

G

ratitude comes in many 
forms.
It can be as simple as 
saying “thank you,
” or as deep 
as appreciating each moment of 
one’s life.
In director Louie Schwartz-
berg’s latest documentary out 
Sept. 16, Gratitude Revealed, the idea 
of gratitude and what it truly 
means is examined from different 
lifestyles and perspectives.
Schwartzberg, the director 
behind the cult-hit documentary 
Fantastic Fungi and the Netflix series 
Moving Art, specializes in high-end, 
time-lapse cinematography that 
defines his unique filmmaking 
style. Gratitude Revealed has that 
same gorgeous, sweeping view 
throughout.
As the child of a Holocaust 
survivor, Schwartzberg learned 
gratitude from a young age. 
His mother survived six years 
in Auschwitz and relocated to 
America after the end of the war.
In the film, Schwartzberg 
explains that his mother was 

grateful with very little. Above all 
else, she found gratitude in those 
that meant most to her: her hus-
band and children.
The lessons of the Holocaust 
stayed with Schwartzberg 
throughout his career. It’s an 
understanding that has shaped 
his outlook and approach to life, 
allowing him to find meaning in 
all corners of the world — a view-
point that’s exemplified in this 
masterpiece of a documentary.
With stunning cinematog-
raphy, compelling subjects and 
philosophical conversations, 
Gratitude Revealed interviews char-
acters from all walks of life and 
all corners of the world about 
what gratitude means. It wrestles 
with important questions, such as 
what are we able to control in our 
happiness and, above all, how do 
we turn happiness into a skill that 
we can continue to build?
Gratitude Revealed also examines 
the idea of happiness being a 
“handle” for how humans physi-
ologically experience an emotion. 

Full of essential life lessons, 
the 82-minute documentary 
explores the science, mystery 
and pursuit of building and cre-
ating gratitude.
Yet, its most important lesson 
is a simple one: People don’t 
have to simply be grateful. Instead, 
each person is gratitude them-
selves — exemplifying the idea 
that gratitude exists within.
From thought leaders to every-
day individuals, Gratitude Revealed 
highlights different perspectives 
on the topic. Featured interviews 
include Norman Lear, Deepak 
Chopra, Jack Kornfield and more. 
Still, it’s perhaps the interviews 
with regular people from all 
walks of life that show how pow-
erful gratitude can be and how it 
can alleviate feelings of discon-
nection.
Filmed in a series of 15 shorts, 
Gratitude Revealed shares how people 
live happier, healthier and more 
productive lives by practicing 
gratitude. It teaches viewers how 
to find simple entry points to 

practice gratitude daily and what 
people can do to live more grate-
ful lives.
Still, it’s the values learned from 
memories passed down about 
the Holocaust that ring loudly 
for Jewish viewers. Introduced 
at the beginning of the film, 
Schwartzberg shares how one of 
history’s most difficult and tragic 
moments inspired generations of 
gratitude in both survivors and 
their descendants.
It’s an understanding every-
one can take away from the film 
— that life, in all forms, is truly 
precious. 

Inspired by the Holocaust, this film teaches 
viewers how to find gratitude.
Gratitude Revealed

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Filmmaker 
Louie 
Schwartzberg

RATING: HHHHI

Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg 
interviews subjects from different 
cultures around the world in 
Gratitude Revealed.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

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