Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World (Hamilton)

Presented in partnership with GritLIT!

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.

"Ms. Waters’s documentary will set one pondering, then reaching for the bookshelf, or perhaps walking out into the woods." - Wall Street Journal

"Oliver’s ability to summon emotions with words is uncanny. Waters’ documentary is proof." - RogerEbert.com

Directed by: Sasha Waters

Running time: 91 min

Country: United States

Year: 2026

Language: English

Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, Stephen Colbert

Select a showtime to buy advanced tickets.