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Belly of the Beast

Play trailer Poster for Belly of the Beast Released Oct 16, 2020 1h 22m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 17 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Ex-convict Kelli Dillon files a lawsuit after doctors perform an unauthorized hysterectomy on her while she is in prison.

Critics Reviews

View All (17) Critics Reviews
Sarah Marloff Austin Chronicle Visually, the first half of the film provides eye-catching contrasts - expansive green fields and semi-trucks, bright days and dark early mornings, inside versus outside. Rated: 3.5/5 Nov 16, 2020 Full Review Katie Walsh Tribune News Service At once a thrilling legal drama and heartbreaking depiction of devastating human rights violations that you can't imagine happening in the 21st century. Nov 15, 2020 Full Review Lovia Gyarkye New York Times "Belly of the Beast" does not reach for happy endings and is most absorbing in its thesis, which makes the stakes of this battle against human rights violations loud and clear. Oct 15, 2020 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia Cohn does a great job of highlighted a horrendous injustice, demonstrating how this exploitation takes place and following the brave women campaigning for change. Mar 18, 2021 Full Review Joanne Laurier World Socialist Web Site The 82-minute film sheds light on the brutality of mass incarceration, a symptom of the vast social inequality in America. Feb 10, 2021 Full Review Chris Barsanti PopMatters Belly of the Beast is an effective introduction to a current issue many viewers would imagine was consigned to the past. Feb 2, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (2) audience reviews
Audience Member Belly of the Beast is a stunning achievement in the documentary space, and an incredibly powerful story about the resilience of the human spirit. This artistic and emotional project revealed human rights abuses towards women in California prisons, and it clearly and journalistically shows what can happen right under our noses in a very successful state. I grew up in California and I was stunned, and horrified, to hear these stories about forced sterilization. This film was thought-provoking, it was horrifying to discover what these women experienced, and it was deeply inspiring to see the survivors challenge the system. The good news is, these women fought the system and won. This documentary and the women featured in it exposed the issues, and the state of California was held accountable, and recently paid reparations. I can't recommend this film enough. It's a true story of women overcoming incredible obstacles, and speaking out to those in power. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Sickening and important. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Belly of the Beast

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Ex-convict Kelli Dillon files a lawsuit after doctors perform an unauthorized hysterectomy on her while she is in prison.
Director
Erika Cohn
Producer
Erika Cohn, Nicole Docta, Christen Hepuakoamana'a Marquez, Angela Tucker
Distributor
PBS
Production Co
Tribeca Film Institute, Fork Films, Idle Wild Films, Black Public Media, ITVS International
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 16, 2020, Limited
Release Date (DVD)
Oct 6, 2020
Runtime
1h 22m