“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do” – Rumi
For the past 23 years Peter Roberts has had one of the most unique jobs in Australia. This Geelong based harp player is Australia’s only qualified musical thanatologist – he plays for people in their last moments of life. Iranian/Australian filmmaker Farshid Akhlaghi documented Robert’s work for more than three years and this quietly beautiful documentary is a testament to the man and his unique line of work.
Outside of his job at his local hospital Roberts works purely for donations, just enough for him to keep doing what he’s doing. A job that comforts people into their final hours does take its toll – thanatology is a subsection of palliative care – and with no others in the field around it’s lonely work. No one else shares the load or fully understands what it’s like. Roberts has been in this line of work for almost a quarter of a century and even though he seems to love his job, it’s taking its toll.
Most of the running time follows Roberts making his rounds at St John of God hospital. A lot of his day seems to be pushing his massive harp through hospital halls, but over the course of this journey that takes us from his home in Geelong, to Turkey, we get a sense of the man himself.
After working at as a furniture salesman for a lot of his adult life – decent work but not exactly spiritually fulfilling – the abrupt change in career came from hearing a poem on the radio. It was a work by Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (or simply “Rumi”), a 13th century Persian poet considered one of the masters of the craft and a cornerstone of Islamic literature. It affected him so deeply that he had to pull the car over and sit in silence. Shortly after he saw an advertisement for specialised training in Montana. On a hunch he, his wife and two daughters moved to the USA for two and a half years while he studied the esoteric ways of thanatology. It was a hunch that paid off.
Roberts’ journey doesn’t stop here. He and Akhlaghi traveled to Turkey together during filming. A visit to Rumi’s home and the Gallipoli peninsulas take both of them on a deeply spiritual voyage, especially since Roberts’ grandfather landed on the beaches in 1916.
We never dive deep into what Roberts thinks about death or what happens after. Doing what he does makes him more qualified that most to comment on it. We get a deep sense of compassion for the man but he doesn’t seem the type to talk openly about his faith. Does life give meaning to death or do our inevitable deaths give meaning to our lives? Everyone answers differently and it’s films like this that prompt thinking about such important questions. Documentaries that shine a light on people like this are so important. These are the real stories that we should be sharing and contemplating, especially local stories like this.
From Music into Silence is a sombre but beautiful exploration of this thoroughly decent man. Every day we move one day closer to the end and no matter who we are, or what we believe, when it’s time to pay the Ferryman and step into the undiscovered country it would be an honour to have someone like Peter Roberts guide us into the abyss.
From Music into Silence screens exclusively at Cinema Nova from 13th June.
