Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

🤩 Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, dir. Sasha Waters, 2026, USA, 91 min.
Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 5:00 PM, Roxie Theater
Friday, June 26, 2026, 7:00 PM, BAMPFA (Berkeley)
Tuesday, August 25, 2026, PBS American Masters (check local listings for time and rebroadcasts)

Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

Frameline blurb:

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

This line from a poem by Mary Oliver continues to resonate across generations — and lies at the heart of this intimate and illuminating portrait.

A fiercely private yet profoundly influential voice, Oliver crafted poems that transformed quiet observation into something transcendent. Openly lesbian and deeply devoted to the natural world (and her beloved dogs), she built a life of intention, privacy, and creative clarity.

Saved by the Beauty of the World weaves Oliver’s own words through rare archival materials and candid reflections from those who knew and admired her, including John Waters, Stephen Colbert, and Oprah Winfrey. From her formative years marked by hardship to her quiet life in Provincetown with her longtime partner, the film traces the journey of a poet who found salvation in attention — to nature, to language, and to love. Tender, contemplative, and deeply human, this documentary invites us not only to understand Mary Oliver’s life, but to reflect on our own.

My take: I’m not much of a poet, and I don’t spend a lot of time reading poetry, either, but helped by the likes of John Waters (who was not only a fan, but a personal friend of Mary Oliver), Stephen Colbert, and Steve Buscemi, I was honored to spend an hour and a half contemplating her life, her legacy, and her poetry. And her dogs. Although there is clearly a sense of reverence for Mary Oliver, she is not put on a pedestal, she is shown as a multi-faceted human being who happened to have an uncommon way with words. Definitely worth your time: must see.

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