Directed by Sasha Waters, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver, a quiet queer icon, captivated readers everywhere with her accessible celebration of nature, dogs, and life itself. Featuring: Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Oprah Winfrey, Jesse Welles, John Waters and Maria Shriver.
If you were hesitant to go into Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World because you’re not a big poetry fan, or you know nothing about Mary Oliver, you absolutely shouldn’t be. Sasha Waters delivers this documentary in such a serene, emotionally driven manner, that it’s extremely accessible, it may even get you to read some poetry if you never have before. Especially because Waters uses Oliver’s work very purposefully throughout the film, and there’s a high number of recitations which are beautifully done.
A big part of that is because Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World doesn’t simply celebrate the work of the author herself, it also celebrates the impact it has had on her readers. You don’t just get lovely recitations from familiar faces, you get an understanding of what that work has meant to them in their own life. As well as capturing how that creates a wonderful cycle, of Oliver’s work helping others and that in turn that response inspiring her to keep writing.
Waters brings a nice mix of Mary Oliver’s early years, her work, and her relationship with her partner of over forty years, Molly Malone Cook. The latter in particular is a superb addition as they had such a wonderful relationship, it’s great to celebrate a connection like that. The style of Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World is solid work, but it can feel like a lot of the same. It’s delivered in such an even noted fashion that it can feel slow, particularly when it has such a relaxed, smoothly flowing tone.
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World is a darling dedication to the work and life of Mary Oliver. It has a soft edge, a gentle nature and really embraces incorporating her work into the style and tone of the film. It can be overly even toned and feel somewhat slow, as well as perhaps not diving as deeply as it could have, it remains fairly on the surface. However, it’s a terrific combination of people to do justice to her story, particularly the effervescent John Waters, the eloquent and charming Helena Bonham Carter, and the ever affable Stephen Colbert.
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