Clean

Released Jun 23, 2023

1h 32m

Documentary

List

100%

15 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

Trauma cleaners clean spaces that no one else will touch -- hoarder sites, meth-labs, murder scenes, deaths and suicides. They clean the homes of some of society's most vulnerable people -- the neglected, the lonely, the addicted, and the mentally unwell. When illness forces her away from her beloved trauma cleaning business, Sandra Pankhurst faces up to her traumatic past and begins a search for her birth mother. Meanwhile, her workers approach this difficult work with camaraderie and humor, bringing hope to their clients despite carrying trauma of their own. Clean shows us that life is more fragile than we might think, but there is hope and reassurance in human connection.

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dave d

Sandra Pankhurst is the focal point of the Australian documentary 'Clean'. Her tale is fascinating and very well told in this 96 minute feature. There is a zig about 30 minutes in that I didn't see coming. The final third of the film is a touch disjointed for a few reasons. Covid changed a lot of films and this clearly is one. Totally worth checking out for if for no other reason than because Sandra is a pretty uplifting gal that should resonate with people who have suffered trauma. When the focus is on her, the film thrives, but it wanders off here and there. Still, a solid effort! Final Score: 7.7/10

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/03/23

Full Review

Zach A

Good, but not as emotionally impactful as the book.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/02/23

Full Review

Kate E

I really wanted to love this but I just felt it didn't go anywhere. I also assume that this person is very well known to Australians so I didn't know of her and felt there were pieces missing. (The real life as she was "coming" up in her industry.) Then to have it go sideways about her mom and finding her mom that then went nowhere was just so disappointing. I love a good "bad life turn it around" story but this for me just didn't feel cohesive in story telling. Too much and no in-depth into one view.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/05/23

Full Review

Sarah

Amazing story of an unconventional life. The book is also fascinating.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/09/23

Full Review

Brenda D

This movie has some uncomfortable aspects, but the overwhelming message is one of compassion.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/24/23

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Lachlan Mcleod

Director

Sandra Pankhurst

Self

Nick Batzias

Executive Producer

Thorsten Schumacher

Executive Producer

Virginia Whitwell

Executive Producer

David Elliot-Jones

Producer

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Stephen A. Russell

Time Out

A fitting tribute to a life well lived in spite of the overwhelming odds stacked against her, it is surely a sign of a remarkable woman that we are left wanting more

Rated: 4

Aug 24, 2022

Full Review

Cher Tan

Guardian

Shot plainly and at a remove, there is no fanfare in Clean – just the story and the people telling it, many of whom are candid and irreverent; a lifetime of hardship and trauma does not allow for self-consciousness.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 21, 2022

Full Review

David Rooney

Hollywood Reporter

Clean is an affecting reflection on the fragility of life, a sobering reminder that many of us at some point have been perched on a precarious ledge just a bad decision or two away from a fall. But it’s also an uplifting story of resilience...

Mar 23, 2022

Full Review

Sarah Ward

Concrete Playground

Affecting and absorbing... this energetic but thoughtful tribute cleans up — and that it has its imperfections fits every tale that it unfurls.

Sep 18, 2022

Full Review

John Noonan

FILMINK (Australia)

… an understated documentary about an extraordinary person.

Rated: 17/20

Sep 15, 2022

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Just a wonderful inspirational story, worth catching.

Rated: B

Aug 23, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Trauma cleaners clean spaces that no one else will touch -- hoarder sites, meth-labs, murder scenes, deaths and suicides. They clean the homes of some of society's most vulnerable people -- the neglected, the lonely, the addicted, and the mentally unwell. When illness forces her away from her beloved trauma cleaning business, Sandra Pankhurst faces up to her traumatic past and begins a search for her birth mother. Meanwhile, her workers approach this difficult work with camaraderie and humor, bringing hope to their clients despite carrying trauma of their own. Clean shows us that life is more fragile than we might think, but there is hope and reassurance in human connection.

Director: Lachlan Mcleod
Producer: Nick Batzias, Thorsten Schumacher, Virginia Whitwell
Distributor: Gravitas Ventures
Production Co: Good Thing Productions, In The Air, Walking Fish Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English (Australia)
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 23, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 23, 2023
Runtime: 1h 32m

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