They Killed Sister Dorothy

Daniel Junge's documentary, which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival, details the 2005 murder in the Brazilian rainforest of Sister Dorothy Stang, a 73-year-old nun from Dayton, OH, who was helping peasant settlers uprooted and exploited by logging and ranching operations. Narrated by Martin Sheen, the film openly questions whether her death—she was shot point blank six times and left to die on a muddy road—was ordered by the wealthy landowners who were agitated by her advocacy on behalf of the region's poorest residents, and offers compelling evidence. Two people believing this to be the case are the victim's brother, David Stang, and the federal prosecutor, Felício Pontes, both of whom are interviewed here. They Killed Sister Dorothy is best when focused on the legal investigations and trials that followed the crime, where the human drama is often outrageous. During the courtroom proceedings, one of the killers calmly demonstrates how the execution was carried out, and a defense attorney attempts to reposition the victim as being a Washington-backed terrorist trying to disrupt Brazil's economic balance. Sister Dorothy herself is featured in videotaped footage, and she comes across as an unlikely zealot—indeed, her social advocacy work seemed to be only moderately effective, which makes the fatal crime all the more tragic and disturbing. DVD extras on this powerful documentary include an update and a photo gallery. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)