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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