Pushing Up Daisies – Director's Statement

As a filmmaker I tend to gravitate toward subject matter that is overlooked in our society because it makes people uncomfortable. I look for topics that are deep, controversial, bizarre and eccentric. And what’s more mysterious and multi-layered than life, death and funeral directors?

"The Dismal Trade." What kind of person would dedicate their life to "the dismal trade?" Who would commit to a profession that requires they confront death on a daily basis? Who would ever choose to be a funeral director, undertaker, mortician, or death care professional? These are questions that fascinated me so much that I began to explore them extensively.

The initial idea behind Pushing Up Daisies was sparked by a St. Louis Riverfront Times article about an eccentric African-American funeral director named Ronald L. Jones. He was the first funeral director I met and his persona and candidness astonished me.

Once I received permission from Ronald to film his life and work, I began searching for another funeral director that could contrast the flamboyant character that is Ronald. After literally knocking on funeral home doors during a kayaking trip in Michigan, I came across Peter Burla, proprietor of Ketola-Burla Funeral home, a one-man operation in a small town called Ironwood. Burla is a striking contrast to the flamboyant Jones. Whereas Jones may work as many as six funerals in a day, Burla spends much of the day reading the newspaper and fishing—not too many people living and dying in Ironwood. Burla proved to be a fascinating character in his own right, and with his permission, I began filming his life and work.

The making of this film was a powerful experience for me. I witnessed things that the average person never sees and it had a profound impact on my life. I witnessed first hand how precious and fragile life can be and now the saying “Death is what makes life important” couldn’t ring truer.

For a subject matter that will ultimately affect every human being, it is amazing how little Americans talk about it. My hope is that this film will spark dialogue about death and how we celebrate lives that have been lived. I want to thank all of the families I filmed and came in contact with. It was brave and admirable for them to allow me and my camera into one of the most trying times of their lives. Without them, there would be no story to tell.

– Doug Whyte