Life, Above All

Name: Life, Above All
Genre: Drama
Released: July 15, 2011
Duration: 100 min
Rating: 65

2011

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Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Ratings

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Ratings

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Life, Above All: Chanda In The Countryside

Now Playing: Life, Above All: Chanda In The Countryside

Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: July 15, 2011 | PG-13

Summary: Just after the death of her newly-born sister, Chanda, 12 years old, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee. Sensing that the gossip stems from prejudice and superstition, Chanda leaves home and school in search of her motherJust after the death of her newly-born sister, Chanda, 12 years old, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee. Sensing that the gossip stems from prejudice and superstition, Chanda leaves home and school in search of her mother and the truth. (Sony Picture Classics)… Expand

Director: Oliver Schmitz

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 100 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Roger Ebert

Aug 31, 2011

The film's ending is improbably upbeat: Magic realism, in a sense. It works as a deliverance. Dennis Foon's screenplay is based on the novel "Chanda's Secrets" by Canadian writer Allan Stratton. It is a parable with Biblical undertones, recalling "Cry, the Beloved Country." Read full review

Manohla Dargis

Jul 14, 2011

A grave and quietly moving story about a South African girl of extraordinary character, does something that few painful dramas accomplish: It tells a tale of resilience without platitudes about the triumph of the human spirit or without false promises about an unclouded future. Read full review

Kimberley Jones

Sep 22, 2011

In its third act, Life, Above All takes a bit of a dip into la-la land, in terms of believability – how precisely is an impoverished family supposed to have afforded an ambulance and hospice care? – but that doesn't diminish the emotional impact of Manyaka's performance and the idea that courage can be infectious, too. Read full review

Justin Chang

Jul 10, 2011

It's an absorbing, vividly inhabited tale nonetheless, never exploiting its horrors but rather treating them as tough local realities. Read full review

Liam Lacey

Jul 14, 2011

Walks a line between didactic allegory and realistic drama. Read full review

Joshua Rothkopf

Jul 12, 2011

The sincere director, Oliver Schmitz, injects too much movie into his movie; life (above all) would have been enough. Read full review

Ilya Tovbis

Jul 19, 2011

By the time the narrative winds toward its key revelation, even the most earnest viewer is numbed and emotionally desensitized by the unfathomable bleakness already overcrowding the screen. Read full review

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Sage11

Feb 5, 2012

Life above all is a befitting title for this film. A parable on the value of human life, where prejudices continue to out weigh the value of another. Until one is willing to find the internal strength to take a stand against these mysticisms in favor of building human character. While thereLife above all is a befitting title for this film. A parable on the value of human life, where prejudices continue to out weigh the value of another. Until one is willing to find the internal strength to take a stand against these mysticisms in favor of building human character. While there may be inequities this film shines in realism and humanism.… Expand

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