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Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

Play trailer 2:37 Poster for Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World Now Playing 1h 31m 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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Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

Critics Reviews

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Alissa Wilkinson New York Times 16h
The film’s strength is the conversations with the participants about what Oliver meant — both what she meant in her writing, and what she meant to the world. Go to Full Review Zachary Barnes Wall Street Journal 4d
Ms. Waters’s documentary will set one pondering, then reaching for the bookshelf, or perhaps walking out into the woods. Go to Full Review Dominic Dante Rembert MovieJawn 1d
Overall, there’s nothing flashy about this documentary film, but it is still very much captivating, inspirational, and presented with earnest emotion. Go to Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 1d
3.5/4.0
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World is a lovely and beautiful documentary. Go to Full Review Christopher Campbell Nonfics (Substack) 3d
This documentary includes segments in which famous fans, including Steve Buscemi, Helena Bonham Carter, Oprah Winfrey, and Stephen Colbert, read Oliver’s poems, which gives them a new cinematic life. Go to Full Review Todd Jorgenson Cinemalogue 3d
... provides a comprehensive portrait that illustrates Oliver's artistic inspiration and creative process, and why she’s so revered among her contemporaries. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

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Cast & Crew

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Sasha Waters

Director

Mary Oliver

Self

Helena Bonham Carter

Self

Steve Buscemi

Self

Stephen Colbert

Self

Lucy Dacus

Self
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Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World

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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
Producer
Sasha Waters
Distributor
Kino Lorber
Production Co
American Masters Pictures
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 3, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 28, 2026
Runtime
1h 31m