Gates of Heaven (1978) *** (out of 4) Errol Morris broke onto the scene with this strange but touching documentary about the pet cemetery business. Morris starts off talking to a few people who decided to form a business and then we hear the stories about how they got the property and what issues came up. From here we get to hear from many pet owners who decided to bury their loved ones with dignity. GATES OF HEAVEN is one of the most highly rated documentaries to come out with many, including Roger Ebert, considering it one of the greatest films ever made. I certainly wouldn't go that far on either account but I think there's no question that the film has a unique charm that draws you in no matter what your feelings are in regards to people treating pets better than humans. I thought some of the most interesting aspects were early on when we hear from the owner of the cemetery as he discusses what made him decide to do this. It certainly wasn't for the money but instead for just needing a beautiful place to put pets to rest. It's also interesting hearing from the people who actually pay a lot of money to have their pets put into a coffin and given a place to where they can visit them. I thought some of the stories were rather sad as it's clear these pets were the only thing in these people's lives and now they're gone. Some of the stuff with the elderly people were extremely sad. While I found the subject matter to be interesting, I can't say I was completely won over by it. I think at times the people really go off topic on things and just seem to ramble on. I think a few of the interviews could have been edited down and I think it would have made for a better movie. With that said, this is a highly regarded movie so what do I know?

I first saw this movie in a college theater in its initial release. The movie poster claimed it was "Not quite a movie about pet cemeteries." I didn't know what to expect, but I have always liked the offbeat. This movie, which even Roger Ebert calls one of his all-time favorites, turned out to be offbeat and much, much more.Without poking fun at his subjects, Morris exposes us to the world of pet cemeteries--both the owners and caretakers of them and the people who've placed the remains of a cherished pet in their care. Sometimes we are moved by empathy; other times we laugh out loud at the preposterousness of it. (Are they for real?) At no time does Morris pass judgment. He leaves that up to us.Along the way we meet the owner of a rendering service, and learn what happens when the circus comes to town. We learn that "God" is "dog" spelled backwards, and we meet an aspiring musician. Morris captures on film the things that make us human: grief, love, self-importance, and an unabashed silliness. The result is a quirky, poignant, and sometimes hilarious look at man's relationship with his pets.

At first glance, Gates of Heaven appears to be a documentary about the lives of people that run pet cemetaries. On second glance, you realize you are witnessing a visual essay on the subject of death and dying, and how these average folk deal with it.There are esesentially three parts to the film. All deal with either the struggle to build a pet cemetery or maintaining a pet cemetery. The most interesting segment is with a family who runs a successful cemetery in the desert of California. You see generations of a family that has done nothing but run this business. They explain the philosophy behind why they choose to bury pets, and why pets deserve burial just as humans do.Morris lets the camera do all the work. With the exception of two shots every other one is static. A talking head documentary that could probably fit the definition exactly. Morris knows when exactly to inject humor into the film, just enough to keep you interested. If you saw this film nowadays, you would expect it to be on Lifetime or some other obscure cable channel. With a third glance and possibly a fourth, you can see the message Morris is trying to get across. Everyone has a way of dealing with death. It is just how you deal with it that determines how comfortable you are with it.

I saw this film for the first time about 2 years ago on IFC and thankfully I videotaped it. Since then, I've watched it 10 or 11 times and it always fascinates me. I especially like the last third of the film in which we meet the harberts family who own the Bubbling Well Pet Cemetary in Nappa Valley. They all seem so sincere and at the same time they crack me up. Errol Morris just has a way of letting real life people go on and on about a subject without it ever becoming boring...