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The Back of the World

Play trailer The Back of the World Released May 22, 2002 1h 29m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 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.

Critics Reviews

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Megan Turner New York Post An unflinching look at the world's dispossessed. Rated: 2.5/4 Jun 27, 2002 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Jul 17, 2005 Full Review Apollo Guide Rated: 73/100 May 13, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews
The Back of the World

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Movie Info

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