Angels in the Dust

Angels in the Dust is a moving documentary about an orphanage for African kids with AIDS.

Sounds familiar? There are echoes of We Are Together, the film that won the Audience Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and a host of other awards. Both deal with AIDS orphans, but Angels in the Dust seems primarily about the life of a woman who gives up her life and savings to make a difference. Marion Cloete, her husband Con, and twin daughters Leigh and Nicole, between them look after some 500 children. Food, clothing, education. And if they get sick, Marion gets retrovirals for them.

Sadly, African AIDS is yesterday's news. And when we do think about it, maybe we spend more thought on financial assistance than doing anything else. Which goes to the heart of Angels in the Dust. This is the third film by award-winning director, Louise Hogarth. And her third film about AIDS. Will this one make a difference? Or just a few extra shillings thrown at the problem.

I suspend judgement, wait for the agenda. Will Marion be a latter-day Mother Theresa? Are we simply to praise them, say what wonderful people she and her husband evidently are? My own reaction was, if these great philanthropists can do this, how can others follow in their footsteps. Give me details! The emotional core of Angels in the Dust is the heartbreaking tales told so matter-of-factly. It's compelling testimony. Child rape. Forced prostitution. Both commonplace. Victims not even in their teens recounting horrific stories. Folk tales like, "If you sleep with a virgin, your HIV will disappear." They add to government-created myths about dietary cures. In many areas, people don't have even basic schooling. Destitute mothers sell daughters. Then deny it has happened. Marion wants a mum's permission to get her child tested for HIV. The girl requests it herself. But Mother refuses. Tells Marion, "Mention the rape again and I will poison the child!"

Marion and Con are from an activist background, patriotic to their (white) South African heritage. "We survive colonialism. We survive apartheid. We come out and we've got HIV." She is furious over government claims. Protests take place outside the Department of Health. "Eat beetroot, garlic, lemon and olive oil," the Department tells the people. It is the official 'cure'. And this is the message: voluntary groups like Marion's are many, but volunteer groups alone are inefficient at producing change; because what the country needs is leadership.

Some of the film raises questions I'd have liked answered. We see Marion teaching in a class of maybe 20 kids. We see Marion out in the community. We see Marion busy counselling. How, in a flock of such size, is she doing all this? A woman of indomitable energy and courage, yes. But the film portrays her as almost a one-woman army. Helpers are sidelined. I am a little wary of her teaching children to visualise angels. Religious brainwashing? But, to her credit, Marion is a university-trained therapist. She teaches children to cope with the death all around. In one scene, they are 'making a wish' in a situation where a religionist would probably be teaching them, 'pray to Jesus'. Overall, Marion is very respectful of autonomy. I am prepared to give her many benefits of the doubt. Yet it still sounds preachy at times. A story about orphaned elephants, aimed at children (off camera), is a patronising way of opening the film.

The parent company website, Participant Media, gives access to a balanced overview, although the only option to 'get involved' seems to be 'donate' (what happened to campaigning?) As the film is a tribute to the Cloetes' work, I wanted to see more of the practical challenges, like finance, security, and training, facing anyone who wanted to set up similar projects. Participant is about providing, "entertainment that inspires and compels social change." (Films include Syriana, Charlie Wilson's War, and North Country, to An Inconvenient Truth and Standard Operating Procedure.) If Angels in the Dust inspires change, it will have done its job. Is the South African Government's own horrendous attitude to AIDS a matter of urgency for Westminster foreign policy, for instance? Web addresses, in case you miss them, are www.participantmedia.com and TakePart.com/AngelsInTheDust.

There is a temptation, as a reviewer, to say, "This is a wonderful film. Because it espouses a worthy cause." Many will be angry if I don't say that. But it is not my job to say whether kids are worthy of help. Which they are. Or whether you should donate some money now. (And if you want to, please do.) You want to know whether you should see the film. I can't recommend it as strongly as We Are Together, which was inspirational in its cinematic approach as well as for the goals of its children (whose education focused on song).

A week after I saw Angels in the Dust, newsreels are flooded with images of thousands of Ethiopian kids also with flies on their faces. Famine, as world food prices rocket. And, consequently, disease and death. Just like 'angels' of the dust. But I'm still more worried that my neighbour's kids may cut their feet on broken glass on the pavement. They are closer to home. That's their distinction. African children, very sadly, compete with each other over having worse tales to tell. The main value of Angels in the Dust may be as a document to inspire politicians rather than as a film to inspire you to part with admission money. Or not. I hope you enjoy it if you see it. I hope even more that something is done.

I decided to watch this film because I am visiting South Africa in the near future. So, to get myself into the mood, I've been seeking out carious films set in South Africa. "Angels in the Dust" is such a film--being filmed in the Johannesburg area just a few years ago.

The film is about a woman (Marion Cloete) and her apparently hopeless struggle to help the HIV-ridden local population. Ignorance is incredible--which would help explain a national HIV+ rate of about 20%--the highest rate in the entire world. For example, infected men believe that having sex with a virgin will cure you--so countless small children are raped and infected regularly. And, it doesn't help any that the government health officials insists that a diet rich in olive oil and garlic can cure the virus as well! So, Marion spends time educating folks, taking care of the many orphans and trying her best to make a better life for her neighbors.

The film is utterly depressing from start to finish. While you really admire folks for trying, it's such a huge battle it's hard not to feel that it's hopeless--which makes Cloete and her family all the more incredible. I strongly recommend the film, however, as ignorance about the world or indifference is wrong and people should be aware of the struggles of these people. What to do about it, however, that isn't so very clear--at least until significant changes occur in the way of education and government denials. Thought-provoking and sad.

Yes, this documentary is now 7 years old. Yes, there is a sadness to it and so it should be. Someone reviewed this a while ago and essentially ended the review feeling he/she was left with an intense (my words) feeling of sadness, and as I read into it it, a sense of hopelessness. I cannot agree with that as all I saw was the hope granted these children by the Cloete family. The solid methodology employed by Marion is textbook pure. Children were taught to grieve, taught to express frustration but were always taught that, in a healthy fashion, they can accept sickness and death, and still move on in a wholesome fashion. Rather then being left in a state of sadness, I left with an empowering sense of hope.

I am surprised that more people have not commented on this movie. I guess it might have had a limited release in the United States, but I really do think that it is as important a documentary as Born into Brothels. I am also a bit baffled as to how many people have rated this raw and inspiring movie below 5 stars!

In today's world of individualism, it is really touching to see how there are people out there who are selfless and are actually actively doing something about the HIV crisis in Africa. Sure, there are movements like the Product (Red) campaign, but this documentary shows what people are capable of doing on the forefront and on a grassroots level to provide a long-term solution to this devastating situation.

From the beginning of the movie, you are hit with powerful and touching images of the Cloete family loving and caring for the children that have come under their wing. By giving them a loving environment, education, food and, most importantly, a strong sense of self, they are providing them with a future. The reach out programs that are carried out by Marion and her family are nothing short of amazing. Speaking to families and trying to make them see logic when it comes to the children's health and well-being. The parents sometimes don't understand that they need to act now and their children need to be at places like the school and boarding house to be away from situations where there is high risk of HIV infection from rape or prostitution.

The movie is quite raw - there is no interruption from the filmmakers and it is very focused on showing the ins and outs of what goes on at the orphanage. The stories that are interwoven are heartbreaking yet inspirational. It really pinpoints the HIV / AIDS crisis in Africa and how, even without a whole lot of money, that it can be solved.

I think this documentary is an important one and needs more recognition and support from the public. People like Oprah and Bono should really be on the bandwagon to support these sorts of charities and organizations and publicize them so that there is more recognition in the global community. It has really inspired me to go out there to do something to really help - and in turn help me grow as a person.

Louise Hogarth's documentary chronicles the extraordinary efforts of Marion Cloete, a university-trained therapist who left a privileged life in Johannesburg to establish a sanctuary for South African children orphaned by the AIDS virus. Hogarth's touch is nearly undetectable, but it's nothing short of wondrous to watch these scarred, abused children transform into sprightly, self-aware cherubs under Cloete's unwavering care.

Angels in the Dust is a story of hope and healing in the face of a staggering crisis. AIDS is leaving entire South African villages decimated and thousands of children orphaned, with no adults to raise them. The inspiring story of Marion Cloete, a university-trained therapist who— with her husband and three daughters— fearlessly walked away from a privileged life in a wealthy Johannesburg suburb to build Botshabelo, an extraordinary village and school that provides shelter, food, and education to more than 550 South African children.