By the River

A virtual pilgrimage to India's "death hotels" directed by Dan Braga Ulvestad

Duration: 25 min
Release date: 2021-03-11
IMDB

Varanasi is the Indian city where Hindus go to die. Stretching along the Ganges, Varanasi holds great spiritual significance because Hindu scriptutres say that anyone who dies there will attain moksha—liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Berlin-based director Dan Braga Ulvestad captures life and death in India’s heartland in this moving documentary filled with exquisite cinematic moments. By the River starts its narrative journey with the city’s “death hotels,” dedicated apartments where people wait to die, sometimes for decades, so they can be cremated on the banks of the Ganges.

Documentary

By the River

Recomendation Films

  • Chronos
  • After Death
  • Powaqqatsi
  • Baraka
  • Naqoyqatsi
  • Gates of Heaven
  • Koyaanisqatsi
  • My Mom Jayne
  • Gunda
  • Extremis
  • Grizzly Man
  • Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever
  • Capturing Avatar
  • 28 Up
  • Ice on Fire
  • Life in a Day
  • Robin's Wish
  • The 11th Hour
  • Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy
  • Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me

Similar Films

  • Michael Mosley: The Doctor Who Changed Britain
  • Daughters of Wisdom
  • A Punjab Village
  • Muerte es Vida (Death is Life)
  • Dief!
  • State Entry into Delhi of Lord Curzon, the Viceroy
  • One Ticket Please
  • Silo
  • James Bond in India
  • King of the Jews
  • The Object
  • Ganga
  • The World's Worst Place to Be Gay?
  • A Road in India
  • Temples of India
  • Top Gear: The Great Adventures 5
  • Day at St Christopher's College and School
  • माटी मानस

NextFilm 2026