Lake of Fire (2006)

93% of critics liked it
(54 reviews)
90% of users liked it
(2,829 ratings)

With Lake of Fire, American History X helmer and music-video director Tony Kaye climbs inside of the decades-old abortion debate for a 152-minute study of the pro-life and pro-choice positions. In the process, he uncovers not an objective black-and-white issue, but a myriad of circumstances and… More With Lake of Fire, American History X helmer and music-video director Tony Kaye climbs inside of the decades-old abortion debate for a 152-minute study of the pro-life and pro-choice positions. In the process, he uncovers not an objective black-and-white issue, but a myriad of circumstances and sub-issues of tremendous moral complexity and ambiguity. He then investigates the sub-philosophies and ideas that belie each side, with generous input and assistance from socialist Noam Chomsky, and via interviews with Christian theologians, and professors of bioethics, sociology, and philosophy. Kaye also gives substantial consideration to the violence directed by certain extremists at abortion doctors, nurses, and clinics. The director worked on the picture for well over 15 years, and it serves as a prime candidate for the definitive abortion documentary. However, be forewarned: Lake of Fire includes lengthy, graphic depictions of abortion procedures and their physical and emotional side-effects, and it is not for the squeamish or suitable for younger audiences. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Tony Kaye
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Oct 3, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Mar 11, 2008
Studio: ThinkFilm

Critic Reviews

Bob Mondello, NPR.org
When the focus narrows to the personal, the film becomes undeniably powerful in its specifics.
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
You may not leave the theater having switched sides, but you'll probably respect the other side more, and that in itself would be a victory for human life.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
At 152 minutes, his film doesn't seem long, because at every moment something absorbing, disturbing, depressing or infuriating is happening.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
No one will have an easy time of it with Lake of Fire, a work of profound anguish centered on the abortion rights debate.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Lake of Fire does something with the volatile subject of abortion that neutral observers and even political partisans can appreciate: It offers a wide representation of perspectives and opinions.
Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times
A 2 1/2 -hour documentary on abortion may sound like a hard sell, but the depth and scope of Tony Kaye's grueling Lake of Fire nonetheless justifies feeling like you've just taken a long, blistering soak in one.
Ian Buckwalter, DCist
Doesn't aim to win converts or preach to the converted. His goal is rather to clear through the rhetoric, and look at abortion and its place in the American political dialog.
Jennifer Merin, About.com
The film shows shocking footage of actual abortions in progress and the remains of aborted fetuses, as well as the appalling images of murdered abortion clinicians and the horrifying testimonies of pro-life fanatics who are convinced all abortionists shou
Sean Gandert, Paste Magazine
Lake's head-on confrontation of a problem most people simply wish to ignore is documentary cinema at its most raw and vital.
Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
The film's focus on Bible-belting zealots seems as diversionary as those zealots' take on abortion . . . The film far too often ignores a woman's view . . . Most pundits in the film, and most critics, can turn abortion into a 'debate' because they're men.
Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
As the U.S. elections media coverage becomes incessant, it's worth keeping in mind that actual listening to other "sides" can be enlightening.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
An intense, sometimes sickening, documentary about the abortion issue in the United States which reeks of brimstone.
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
The most striking footage is of an abortion; the next is of hateful and ignorant Americans
Mark Dujsik, Mark Reviews Movies
Demands we throw out our preconceived notions and face the issue without walls to protect us.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Doesn't quite feel as definitive as the filmmaker intended, although I can't imagine how any film on the subject could get closer than this.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
definitive documentary on the subject that is so gripping that every thinking person will be forced to confront core issues
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Hardly seemed like the "definitive" film about abortion as it thinks of itself.
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
For all its provocativeness, Lake of Fire is not a shapeless movie, nor a politically irresponsible one.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
The astonishing feat of the documentary Lake of Fire is that it takes a topic about which everyone is always telling us what to think and manages to do justice to both sides. Or rather, all sides.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
Most of the footage... is at least a decade old - and the saddest commentary is that the discussion hasn't budged an inch.

Read all 22 critic reviews

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First L

An epic, nearly 3 hour documentary spanning over the course of 15 years about the highly controversial subject of abortion. It doesn't shy away from difficult-to-look-at images: it shows an actual abortion taking place as well as the remains of the aborted 5-month old fetus, it… More
An epic, nearly 3 hour documentary spanning over the course of 15 years about the highly controversial subject of abortion. It doesn't shy away from difficult-to-look-at images: it shows an actual abortion taking place as well as the remains of the aborted 5-month old fetus, it shows the bodies of Doctors gunned down by fanatics, and it shows pictures of the bodies of women who tried to give themselves "coat hanger abortions". Let me get back to the abortion shown, it's graphic and pretty hard to take, and yet, anyone who's pro-choice needs to see this and then ask themselves if they still feel the same. It takes all denial out of the supporters mind, they can't pretend it's "just a mass of cells" anymore. So, the question is no longer, "is it a human life?" or "is it a baby?", but what are the consequences of this child being born how will society deal with it? The film points out the hypocrisy of conservatives who in one breath will condemn abortion but in the other vote against sex education, birth control and welfare programs (apparently they're only concerned with babies before they're born). Being against birth control is an especially telling sign showing that many who are pro-life are more importantly anti-sex. Of course the film also focuses on the fanatical who whip their followers into a frenzy, and the consequences of that frenzy when one of their followers is unstable, showing the murder of Dr. Gunn among others. Of course, Doctor killers and fire bombers are a fringe group, but it's amazing how far-reaching their influence can be (when they show pictures of republican presidents with those who would later kill, it's especially chilling). Abortion is never painted in a glamorous light, and it's certainly not enjoyable for a woman to go through one. It's something no woman goes into lightly. "Lake of Fire" doesn't settle any arguments, it makes them and lets the viewer decide.
Alec B

'Lake of Fire' is incredibly difficult to watch at moments, specifically the images of the abortion process or pictures of women who unsuccessfully tried to perform an abortion on themselves, but its one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. It shows the wide range… More
'Lake of Fire' is incredibly difficult to watch at moments, specifically the images of the abortion process or pictures of women who unsuccessfully tried to perform an abortion on themselves, but its one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. It shows the wide range of beliefs pretty favorably ranging from sane to crazy and while it slightly leans in favor of the pro-choice movement, its still one of the most unbiased portrayals of the abortion issue that any filmmaker has dared to make. The most important thing that the film shows us is that Americans have a very hard time with rational debate and discussion regardless of their opinion or political affiliation.
William G

Exhaustively thorough portrait of the abortion issue in the United States.