THE SECRET LIFE OF DEATH

The Secret Life of Death opens a rare window inside one of the oldest family-run
funeral homes in Australia, Walter Carter Funerals, which has been based in Bondi
Junction since the 1870s. Told through the eyes of two of its youngest and most
recent recruits – Jasmine Cameron, a funeral director, and Amber Coote, the
mortuary manager – it lifts the lid on one of the last great taboos: death.

But it’s also about love for these two sassy female funeral workers – Amber’s partner passed away recently while Jasmine moonlights at a comedy club. As we see them in action, we’re behind the scenes at multicultural funerals laden with colourful rites and rituals and on the inside as a terminally-ill woman arranges her own extravagant funeral, a very rare occurrence in Australia.

It’s life and death all wrapped up in an emotional bow…until their boss, Dale
Maroney, a fifth-generation descendant of Walter Carter, drops a bombshell – she’s in a battle for her survival, both professional and personal, and we have an
all-access pass while she undergoes a double mastectomy and we are a fly on the
wall as she engages in a joint venture with Olsens Funerals, another family-run
company, in a bid to avoid being gobbled up by the McDonalds of the funeral
industry.