A Still Small Voice

Filmstill A Still Small Voice

A Still Small Voice

A Still Small Voice
Luke Lorentzen
Audience Competition 2023
Documentary Film
USA
2023
93 minutes
English
Subtitles: 
German Subtitles for deaf and hard-of-hearing

Mount Sinai Hospital in New York is one of the largest and oldest hospitals in the United States. Mati, an aspiring hospital chaplain, works here. She is about to complete her one-year residency in the department of “Spiritual Care,” a branch of palliative medicine. Patients struggling with insecurity, trauma and grief get emotional and spiritual support here. The film follows Mati and her colleagues through 2020 and 2021, the years with the highest number of deaths in the history of the USA. Mati herself must struggle daily to find her balance. Because, as her supervisor puts it, if one’s own bandwidth is used up, there is simply no room left for the tougher things. It is therefore an important part of the work of a counsellor to get support and guidance for oneself.

Luke Lorentzen observes this cosmos with great sensitivity and, despite being so close, with pleasant restraint. The calm camera often keeps its distance, especially in moments of doubt or when observing conflicts in the team. A film unafraid of intimacy that spans a thought-provoking arc: between questions of faith, loss and professional sustainability.

Lina Dinkla

Credits DOK Leipzig Logo

Director
Luke Lorentzen
Cinematographer
Luke Lorentzen
Editor
Luke Lorentzen
Producer
Kellen Quinn, Luke Lorentzen
Co-Producer
Ashleigh McArthur, Robina Riccitiello
Sound
César González Cortés, Javier Quesada
World Sales
Andrea Hock