Rejecting the mainstream tradition of hiring funeral professionals to care for the deceased, families in search of a more personal and fulfilling way to say goodbye are taking an active role in caring for relatives who have died. In the Parlor shares an intimate story of three individuals who, with the support and guidance of their families and communities were cared for after their deaths, at home. Julie, Ron, and Jarrad, all unique individuals with very different circumstances are portrayed in a thoughtful, quiet manner to give the viewer an idea of what “family directed death care” might look like. Both a critical look at the American relationship with death and in inquiry into the home death care movement, In the Parlor takes viewers on a journey where very few have gone, and challenges us to reflect on this uncomfortable subject, which so often is hidden away and ignored.