One-off
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Director(s):
MITSCH (JACQUES)
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Producer(s):
O2B FILMS, ARTE FRANCE
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Territories:
Worldwide.
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Production year:
2024
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Language(s):
English, French
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Rights:
TV, DVD, NON-THEATRICAL, INTERNET, VOD
Baboons, crows, dolphins, elephants... when faced with the death of one of their own, animals react in fascinating ways. For years, scientists have been describing poignant - and puzzling - scenes. Today, more and more studies investigate where these behaviors come from and what they mean. Are they stricly physiological reactions? Or do they point to an awareness of death, or even to what we call grief? A groundbreaking new science called comparative thanatology, attempts to unravel the mysteries of death in the animal kingdom.
How do animals react when they are faced with the dead body of one of their own? Is there a typology of behaviors based on the biological and social complexity of species? What hides behind the diversity of these behaviors: innate physiological reactions? Survival instinct? Grief and mourning in the animal kingdom? And furthermore, could it be that some complex animals have developed a form of awareness when it comes to death that is similar to ours?
This documentary aims to answer all these questions. An unprecedented film that takes us into the most intimate moments of the animal kingdom, leading us to the discovery of an emerging science based on ethology, neuroscience, and psychology. Guiding us is its leader, James Anderson, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and researcher specializing in the study of the behavior and cognitive processes of non-human primates at the University of Kyoto.