The Sound of Insects: Record of a Mummy

A mummified man is found in a distant forest. The diaries left by the deceased show that it is a case of suicide by self-starvation. Moving between fact and fiction, The Sound of Insects is based on Until I Am a Mummy, a short story about the case, written by Shimada Masahito. The film follows the thoughts and personal struggle of a dying person beyond pain and disbelief. Everything is mirrored against the metaphorical images and slow life of the forest.

This experimental film is like a macabre combination of The National Geographic, feverish urban symphonies and delirious dreams. It captures the essence of the nameless deceased’s determined but unhurried swan song. The film received the European Film Academy’s Prix Arte Award for the best European documentary in 2009.

Kati Hurme │ Translation by Maria Koistinen