They Killed Sister Dorothy

2008

1h 34m

Documentary

List

100%

8 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

In February of 2005, Sister Dorothy Stang, a 73-year-old Catholic nun and activist, is killed in the Brazilian rain forest where she fought against the exploitation of the land by powerful loggers and landowners.

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Audience Member

Could have been a much better documentary but jumped around way too much.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Pretty good documentary. I think the best part is being able to see how a Brazilian court functions. Very fascinating. However, the documentary is slanted to one side and doesn't do a great job of really setting up the story.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

They Killed Sr. Dorothy is a documentary about a 73 year old nun who is originally from Ohio, but has lived as a missionary in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest for many years, and who fought along side the underprivileged against the exploitation of powerful loggers and landowners., until the day she was gunned down point blank and left in the mud to die. The film follows the court-room drama that followed on this sad event. We meet her brother and those many that loved and cared about her as they fight against great odds to have those that were responsible brought to justice.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A very good (yet frustrating) documentary on the murder of Sister Dorothy Stang. It is an unfortunate fact that by the end, justice was not fully served and most of her good works were undone.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great documentary that was actually quite suspenseful at times as we waited in anticipation for the final verdict. Very educational about the land war between farmers and ranchers that is indeed very similar to the old west except with the Amazon Rainforest at stake.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Clearly this is a movie to watch to learn about this woman, the battle over the rain forests and the justice system in Brazil. There are a few graphic pictures of Dorothy after she was murdered. It's well worth seeing, and will leave you with many thoughts, but not all the answers you hoped.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

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Daniel Junge

Director

Martin Sheen

Narrator

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Brandon Judell

indieWire

a stirring doc on how landowners paid to have an activist nun slaughtered in Brazil

Jul 29, 2011

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Denver Post

They Killed Sister Dorothy chronicles the life of Sister Dorothy Stang, the 'Angel of the Amazon', her execution-style murder in 2005 and the aftermath.

Dec 5, 2008

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Joe Leydon

Variety

Daniel Junge's They Killed Sister Dorothy impresses and enthralls, balancing moral outrage and courtroom melodrama in a documentary filled with the sort of colorful characters one usually encounters only in fictional crime stories.

Mar 28, 2008

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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

An engrossing documentary on the life and work of Amazonian activist Sister Dorothy Stang and the trial of those involved in her murder in 2005.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 30, 2009

Full Review

Kim Voynar

Cinematical

... at its heart, this is really a story about the wealthy versus the poor, and about an activist trying to protect a natural resource from those who would destroy it for profit.

Rated: 3.5/5

Apr 12, 2008

Full Review

Sean McBride

Sean the Movie Guy

Director Daniel Junge succeeds marvelously here, with total access to all of the characters in what turns out to be a passionate courtroom melodrama.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 6, 2008

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Synopsis

In February of 2005, Sister Dorothy Stang, a 73-year-old Catholic nun and activist, is killed in the Brazilian rain forest where she fought against the exploitation of the land by powerful loggers and landowners.

Director: Daniel Junge
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Oct 20, 2009
Runtime: 1h 34m