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Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

Play trailer 2:37 Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World In Theaters Jul 3 1h 31m Biography Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Celebrated best-selling poet, Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Oliver was America's unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly fifty years in order to open herself -- and her readers – to the known and unknowable world. From a lonely childhood to literary fame, Oliver's life was shaped by devotion to nature, paying attention, and the long journey toward learning to love and to be loved. Her poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites, speaking directly to contemporary anxieties about attention, presence, and the human relationship with the natural world -- issues that feel especially pressing in an era of climate crisis, digital distraction, and social fragmentation. Featuring interviews with her close friends, including John Waters, never-before-seen personal photos, notebooks, and correspondence from her archive, and recitations of her work by Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi, and Oprah Winfrey, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World considers the poet's long lifetime of work in context, capturing the uniqueness of her world and the natural beauty that inspired her.
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Cast & Crew

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Sasha Waters Freyer

Director

Mary Oliver

Self

John Waters

Self

Stephen Colbert

Self

Lucy Dacus

Self

Steve Buscemi

Self
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Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World: Trailer 1 Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World: Trailer 1 2:37 View more videos
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Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

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Movie Info

Synopsis If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Celebrated best-selling poet, Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Oliver was America's unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly fifty years in order to open herself -- and her readers – to the known and unknowable world. From a lonely childhood to literary fame, Oliver's life was shaped by devotion to nature, paying attention, and the long journey toward learning to love and to be loved. Her poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites, speaking directly to contemporary anxieties about attention, presence, and the human relationship with the natural world -- issues that feel especially pressing in an era of climate crisis, digital distraction, and social fragmentation. Featuring interviews with her close friends, including John Waters, never-before-seen personal photos, notebooks, and correspondence from her archive, and recitations of her work by Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi, and Oprah Winfrey, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World considers the poet's long lifetime of work in context, capturing the uniqueness of her world and the natural beauty that inspired her.
Director
Sasha Waters Freyer
Producer
Sasha Waters Freyer
Distributor
Kino Lorber
Production Co
American Masters Pictures
Genre
Biography, Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 3, 2026, Limited
Runtime
1h 31m