The Back of the World

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The Back of the World

Released May 22, 2002

1h 29m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

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12 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Here are three distinct portraits of dispossessed and marginalized individuals whose lives are forgettable in their parts of the world, and yet truly unforgettable as markers of social injustice. The first segment features an 11-year-old boy forced into child labor by the economic and social conditions of his Peruvian village. The second introduces a Kurd living in exile, apart from his homeland and the imprisoned wife he'll never see again. The third segment focuses on a death-row inmate.

Megan Turner

New York Post

An unflinching look at the world's dispossessed.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 27, 2002

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Leslie Camhi

Village Voice

What saves this deeply affecting film from being merely a collection of wrenching cases is Corcuera's attention to detail.

May 24, 2002

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Dave Kehr

New York Times

The misery of these people becomes just another voyeuristic spectacle, to be consumed and forgotten.

Rated: 2/5

May 24, 2002

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B. Ruby Rich

The Nation

Utterly free of didacticism, The Back of the World brushes its subjects with the luminosity of an oil painting. It's impossible to exit the theater unmoved.

Feb 25, 2020

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 17, 2005

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Apollo Guide

Rated: 73/100

May 13, 2005

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Javier Corcuera

Director

Elias Querejeta

Producer

Elias Querejeta

Writer

Javier Corcuera

Writer

Fernando León de Aranoa

Writer

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Synopsis

Here are three distinct portraits of dispossessed and marginalized individuals whose lives are forgettable in their parts of the world, and yet truly unforgettable as markers of social injustice. The first segment features an 11-year-old boy forced into child labor by the economic and social conditions of his Peruvian village. The second introduces a Kurd living in exile, apart from his homeland and the imprisoned wife he'll never see again. The third segment focuses on a death-row inmate.

Director: Javier Corcuera
Producer: Elias Querejeta
Screenwriter: Elias Querejeta, Javier Corcuera, Fernando León de Aranoa
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): May 22, 2002, Limited
Runtime: 1h 29m