The movie Obit essentially feels an ode to time past. Not just in terms of the obituary, but also for journalism, colorful characters, and most especially for venerable institution “the holy goddamn New York Times”.

It does not really matter if Vanessa Gould’s film is steeped in modernity, (which it is, as it looks pretty darn good). It still feels as though there should some of filter permeating the experience, as if looking back on a time past when Bruce Weber and Bill Grimes were fixtures of the newsroom, and ledes and decks truly mattered.

At its heart, Obit feels like an ode to pure journalism, and though it does not dare to speak the words, of a past time that didn’t move at the blazing speed of the Internet. Though the idea that an obituary is as much as celebration of life as it is a mourning for death is a fairly pat and standard conclusion, there is still a fair bit of resonance and meaning. If only there was this much liveliness in the remainder of the proceedings.

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