The Devil's Miner

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The Devil's Miner

2005

1h 25m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

26 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Filmmakers Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani profile Basilio, a 14-year-old Bolivian who supports his family by working in a silver mine. Like his fellow workers, the boy looks to Satan for protection from the daily hazards he encounters in the bowels of the Earth.

Critics Consensus

A visually arresting documentary that offers a powerful and unforgettable look into the silver mining industry and child labor.

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Richard Porton

Chicago Reader

Sep 29, 2017

The filmmakers are better at fashioning haunting images than offering hard-nosed analysis, yet they never sentimentalize their young protagonists' plight.

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Tom Keogh

Seattle Times

May 19, 2006

3/4

A mesmerizing documentary both exotic and sad.

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Carina Chocano

Los Angeles Times

Apr 28, 2006

5/5

This is social documentary at its best.

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Kam Williams

San Francisco Bay View

Jun 16, 2007

4/4

This documentary which exposes the twin evils of child labor and silver mining, is a most powerful expose' of an ongoing, mass-scale human tragedy.

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Maria Garcia

Film Journal International

Mar 1, 2007

The flawless progress of this documentary lies in the filmmakers' unwavering fealty to their subjects.

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Luke Y. Thompson

LYTRules.com

Oct 25, 2006

A horror movie? Nope -- documentary. Though there is, I think, a good horror movie to be made here.

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Apr 2, 2015

Well-made and very, very sad.

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Nov 18, 2013

This is the saddest and most gut wrenching, eye opening Documentary I've ever seen.

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Jan 2, 2012

3 out of 4 films in Rotten Tomatoes' 100 music and performing artys films list haven't had music or musicians as their subjects, but I'm not complaining. This was another good documentary.

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Nov 4, 2011

It's good, but we knew about most of this going in.

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Feb 1, 2011

If you prefer your documentaries make you cry and feel hopeless then this is for you! 800 kids work in mines that have claimed 8 million lives for about $3 a day and then die at 35 from the dust in their lungs. Bummer antidote to My Sweet 16 or Teen Cribs.

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Apr 20, 2010

Hard to see children having to work at all, let along in such harsh conditions just to feed themselves and their families. Very very heartbreaking. I think if Adults and Children from developed countries saw this, they make think differently about how ridiculously easy we all have it and how spoiled we truly are. Really reminds one how blessed we really are!

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Kief Davidson

Director

Richard Ladkani

Director

Kief Davidson

Writer

Richard Ladkani

Writer

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Synopsis

Filmmakers Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani profile Basilio, a 14-year-old Bolivian who supports his family by working in a silver mine. Like his fellow workers, the boy looks to Satan for protection from the daily hazards he encounters in the bowels of the Earth.

Director: Kief Davidson, Richard Ladkani
Screenwriter: Kief Davidson, Richard Ladkani
Production Co: Urban Landscapes Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Spanish
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Mar 17, 2006
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 13, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.7K
Runtime: 1h 25m

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