Beyond Belief

Although right-wing author Ann Coulter (whose snide comments about the widows of 9/11 victims made national news) might not appreciate Beyond Belief, most viewers will find this documentary—showcasing efforts by two 9/11 widows to raise funds in order to assist Afghan widows—to be quite moving. Boston-area mothers Patti Quigley and Susan Retik's husbands were passengers in the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center towers. After a period of grieving, the pair decided to channel their emotions into helping others while also trying to build stronger ties with the Afghan people. Filmmaker Beth Murphy's documentary is structured somewhat like a three-act play: the first third sets the stage through interviews and day-to-day footage of both the Quigley and Retik families at home, the second details their fundraising bike ride from Ground Zero to Boston, and the last records their 2006 journey to Afghanistan, where they met and bonded with women who benefited from their activism and financial contributions. A side-story also covers the abduction of an Italian aid worker the pair knew (fortunately, she was ultimately released by her captors unharmed). Simply told, this genuinely inspiring film certainly touches on the subject of forgiveness, but that isn't the primary theme: instead, Beyond Belief offers a starkly powerful reminder of the good that can be accomplished by ordinary people who set aside anger and devote themselves to improving the lives of others—and, in the process, end up enriching their own. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)