Pray the Devil Back to Hell - DVD Review

By Cyril Pearl -- Video Business, 11/2/2009

BALCONY/PASSION RIVER
Street: Nov. 10
Prebook: now
> Well-documented true story of how Liberia’s women bought down their country’s murderous dictator through non-violent means.

A straight-forward look at the incredible story of how the women of the African nation of Liberia banded together and, in 2003, managed to wrest away the power of their country’s murderous dictator and end the country’s 14-year civil war. This was achieved in a primarily non-violent fashion, which included massive sit-ins that lasted for days and, at one point, the women forming barricades around a building where there were ceasefire negotiations going on and refusing to let the men exit until an agreement was reached. Filmmaker Gini Reticker uses archival footage, newspaper coverage (mostly American) and the testimony of Liberian women (led by one of the women’s leaders, Leymah Gbowee) to tell this recent historical tale, which certainly warrants the attention.

Shelf Talk: Pray the Devil Back to Hell received lots of positive press and won a bunch of festival awards during its platform release last year, as well as giving birth to the non-profit organization Peace is Loud, which concerns itself with “amplifying women’s voices and recognizing women’s knowledge of peacebuilding.”

Documentary, color, NR (mature themes, violence), 72 min., DVD $24.95, UPC: 844667019926
Extras: Leymah Gbowee’s acceptance speech for the Courage Award, Bill Moyers Journal interview
Director: Gini Reticker
First Run: L, Nov. 2008, <$1 mil.