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Such a frustrating disappointment

A different way of telling a story

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

A beautiful, elderly British physician works in a hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, helping to heal women with devastating childbirth injuries.Without the surgery for this "hidden epidemic" -- 100% preventable with good obstetrical care that unfortunately is absent in the countryside -- these women are despised and ostracized due to the urine that often leaks from their ruptured bladders.This intense and powerful film follows the stories of three young peasant women who have somehow resisted suicide in hopes of finding a brighter future. The film gently shows these patients' struggles with multiple procedures as they deal with stress incontinence and other problems even after their fistulas have been repaired."I never thought I would be cured. I just assumed I would die," says a young woman in her 20s who eventually returns to the village that had shunned her.One thing the documentary does not explain is who funds the treatment for these abjectly poor patients. Another thing that seems to be lacking is psychological assistance following traumatic stillbirths. Foreign assistance seems badly needed in this area. Thankfully, the women treated at the Fistula Hospital are told to return in the event of future pregnancies. "When you start feeling the baby walking inside your stomach, you start walking toward the hospital," the aforementioned British doctor tells them.It is so beautiful at the end of this documentary to see that Wubete, aged 17, finds a job, a home, and motherhood with children orphaned by AIDS. We vicariously share in what seems to be her first joy in years.

This movie is sure to make everyone in the audience feel like their worst day could never compare to the lives of these 5 Ethiopian women who are the modern day lepers. Cast off by their families and villages, they live in exile, unable to make a living or socialize.Without spoiling the end, I was beyond moved by their stories. I feel that I've been changed forever by getting to know these 5 women, and feel privileged to have been allowed to share their stories with us.While their stories of transformation are dramatic, the filmmakers have managed to show the brutal reality of these women's lives without being heavy handed. In fact, there is a level of subtlety in how they address the political and socioeconomic factors that contribute to their plight. This is the anti-docutorial.Words cannot describe how amazing the cinematography and soundtrack are. The scenic shots are sweeping yet not overblown. The score hits all the right notes without tugging at the audience in a manipulative fashion.Bottom line: This is a must see for anyone who lives near the Quad in NYC.