“Hello. My name is Marty DiBergi. I’m a filmmaker … I jumped at the chance to make the documentary – the, if you will, rockumentary – that you’re about to see.”

For generations of movie-goers, these words produce a smile, a warm glow, and anticipation of a trip into “the sights, the sounds, the … smells … of a hard-working rock band on the road”. The words come from Rob Reiner’s opening monologue to 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap. As well as playing DiBergi, Reiner directed Tap and co-wrote it with its stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. It routinely tops polls as the funniest movie ever made.

Illustration by Dionne GainCredit: Dionne Gain

Last Sunday, December 14, Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead with stab wounds at their Los Angeles home. Their son Nick has been charged with murder. Reiner had been a liberal activist, and Donald Trump said some things about his death that were so lacking in self-awareness or decency, even by Trump’s non-existent standards, that even the MAGA-verse has distanced itself. A fine line between stupid and clever? Sometimes not.

Paying tribute has been one reason to retreat from the world into Reiner’s work this week. Another reason is that those of us who can take a break from the ambient grief can forgive ourselves for seeking an escape. I’ve rewatched Tap like a child chewing on my favourite teddy bear.

As well as a place for comfort, going back to Reiner’s movies offers a chance to reflect on the meaning of a life that is ended by violence and summarily exploited for gain. It’s a chance to think about what matters and what is left........

© The Age