Lake of Fire (2007)

NEUTRAL

Various

94%

2006, Documentary, 2h 32m

RT Critics’ Score: 94% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: 14 nominations

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Critics Consensus

Lake of Fire’s engaging interviews and powerful black-and-white visuals make for a riveting and honest documentary about a very controversial topic.

Audience Consensus

Lake of Fire is a documentary that tackles the controversial topic of abortion in America. Critics have praised the film for its raw and powerful approach, showing actual footage of abortions and the aftermath. Some have even said that it’s a must-watch for anyone who wants to understand the issue better. However, if you’re looking for a light-hearted movie night, this is definitely not it. You might want to save this one for a day when you’re feeling emotionally prepared for some heavy subject matter.

Storyline

Lake of Fire is a documentary that explores the heated and controversial topic of abortion in America, featuring interviews with people on both pro-choice and pro-life sides of the issue, as well as graphic footage of actual medical procedures.

Production Company(ies)
Anonymous Content

Distributor
ThinkFilm

Release Type
Theatrical

Filming Location(s)
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

MPAA / Certificate
Unrated

Year of Release
2007

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Dolby
Aspect ratio:

NA
Runtime:

2h 32m
Language(s):

English
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Oct 3, 2007 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2008

Genre(s)
Documentary

Keyword(s)
documentary, abortion, Tony Kaye, Noam Chomsky, Randall Terry, pro-choice, pro-life, graphic footage, medical procedures, black-and-white visuals, controversial topic, critic reviews, box office, budget, MPAA rating, produced by ThinkFilm, reviewed by Ben Kenigsberg, Melissa Anderson, Bob Mondello, J.R Jones, Joshua Rothkopf, Brian Tallerico, Ian Buckwalter, Jennifer Merin, Sean Gandert, Cynthia Fuchs, Robert Roten, Marty Mapes, directed by Tony Kaye, written by Tony Kaye, starring Noam Chomsky, Randall Terry, genre: documentary, release date: Oct 3, 2007 Limited, runtime: 2h 32m, distributor: ThinkFilm

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $25,317
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $36,268
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,099
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,955

US/Canada gross: $25,317
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $36,268
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,775
US/Canada opening weekend: $2,559
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $3,666
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,822

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA

Cast & Crew

Tony Kaye

Noam Chomsky

Randall Terry

Tony Kaye

Noam Chomsky

Randall Terry

Tony Kaye – Director
Noam Chomsky – Self
Randall Terry – Self

Tony Kaye

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Tony Kaye

Writer(s)
NA

Producer(s)
NA

Film Festivals

Awards & Nominations
14 nominations

Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Ben Kenigsberg

Melissa Anderson

Bob Mondello

J. R. Jones

Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out

NPR.org

Chicago Reader

The Deadbolt

DCist

LAKE OF FIRE
All Critics (54) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (3)
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 4/5

Ben Kenigsberg
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 1/5

Melissa Anderson
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
When the focus narrows to the personal, the film becomes undeniably powerful in its specifics.

October 18, 2008

Bob Mondello
NPR.org
TOP CRITIC
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.

December 4, 2007

J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
For all its provocativeness, Lake of Fire is not a shapeless movie, nor a politically irresponsible one.

November 14, 2007 | Rating: 5/6

Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Lake of Fire doesn’t tell you what to decide, it just gives you as much information as possible to make the choice yourself.

November 8, 2007

Brian Tallerico
The Deadbolt
TOP CRITIC
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.

June 10, 2010 | Rating: 10/10

Ian Buckwalter
DCist
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

June 1, 2009 | Rating: 5/5

Jennifer Merin
About.com
Lake’s head-on confrontation of a problem most people simply wish to ignore is documentary cinema at its most raw and vital.

July 30, 2008

Sean Gandert
Paste Magazine
As the U.S. elections media coverage becomes incessant, it’s worth keeping in mind that actual listening to other “sides” can be enlightening.

January 17, 2008

Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters
An intense, sometimes sickening, documentary about the abortion issue in the United States which reeks of brimstone.

January 16, 2008 | Rating: B

Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
The most striking footage is of an abortion; the next is of hateful and ignorant Americans

December 20, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4

Marty Mapes
Movie Habit…

Plot
Lake of Fire is a documentary that explores the heated and controversial topic of abortion in America, featuring interviews with people on both pro-choice and pro-life sides of the issue, as well as graphic footage of actual medical procedures.

Trivia