This reverential documentary charts the inspiring story of 97-year-old Ruth Gruber, a journalist who's covered stories everywhere from the frozen tundras of Alaska and the Arctic to the arid deserts of Palestine---most famously, Britain's WWII blockade against Jews attempting to enter that Middle Eastern region, a suppression she actively combated in her work.
This reverential documentary charts the inspiring story of 97-year-old Ruth Gruber, a journalist who's covered stories everywhere from the frozen tundras of Alaska and the Arctic to the arid deserts of Palestine---most famously, Britain's WWII blockade against Jews attempting to enter that Middle Eastern region, a suppression she actively combated in her work. Director Robert Richman reunites the eloquent nonagenarian with past acquaintances, though it's Gruber's own remembrances (and a wealth of accompanying archival photos and film footage) that best mark her life as a case study in pioneering feminist courage, ambition and individualism.---Nick Schager