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A Walk to Beautiful (2007)

Director: Mary Olive Smith

4

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From Time Out New York

“The fistula patients will break your heart,” Australian doctors Catherine and Reginald Hamlin were warned when they came to Ethiopia in 1959. Mary Olive Smith’s documentary profiles five women from isolated rural communities who developed obstetric fistulas after prolonged obstructed deliveries. Leaking bodily waste, they’re ostracized and abandoned. A relatively simple surgery can correct the condition, but superstition, poverty and hundreds of miles stand between the women and hospitals like the Hamlins’, in distant Addis Ababa. Smith’s film is a pure, unabashed humanitarian call to action, but her subjects are eloquent and her cause unimpeachable, Oprah-ization notwithstanding.

Author: Maitland McDonagh 2008-02-05 17:59:03

Time Out New York Issue 645: February 7-13,2008

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User reviews of this film

  • Dan said...
    Posted on Feb 13 2008 20:08 A Walk to Beautiful is easily the best documentary I've ever seen. This film is a masterpiece in more ways than one; it is uplifting, educational, emotional and inspiring. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
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  • Heidi said...
    Posted on Feb 13 2008 10:24 A beautiful and moving film; wish this were required viewing for the planet.
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  • susan said...
    Posted on Feb 11 2008 16:16 One of the most moving documentaries I've seen in a long time. The tragic stories of 5 young Ethiopian women and their desperate situations turn into one of the most life affirming tales. Beautifully shot with a soaring soundtrack.
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Cast & crew

Director: Mary Olive Smith

Rated: NR

Duration: 85 mins

US Release: Feb 8 2008


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