Life – Instruction Manual

Compared to others in the animal kingdom, newborn humans are notorious for what we can't do on our own. Yet within moments after birth we are learning, developing skills, and responding to our environment in meaningful ways. Filmmakers Jörg Adolph and Ralf Bücheler observe the myriad ways we depend on learning - particularly on instruction from others - as we develop the skills necessary for getting on with life: from childbirth classes for pregnant couples to elementary school children being taught how to cross the street; from mastering complex job-related skills to learning the proper way to zip a body bag. Each segment reminds us of such moments in our own lives and how this sharing of expertise is embedded in our social contract. (Full Frame Documentary Film Festival)