The Salt of the Earth

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1:48

The Salt of the Earth

PG-13

2015

1h 49m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

95 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Juliano Ribeiro Salgado co-directs a look at the career of his father, photographer Sebastião Salgado.

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Critics Consensus

While the work it honors may pose thorny ethical questions that Salt of the Earth neglects to answer, it remains a shattering, thought-provoking testament to Sebastião Salgado's career.

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Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

Jul 23, 2015

4/5

Wenders showcases his work while giving him a platform to express his philosophical and political views. The doc benefits from a subtly affecting use of music.

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Jul 19, 2015

4/5

Salgado proves an adept and compassionate storyteller, his training as an economist providing sociopolitical insight into the suffering (manmade rather than natural) that threatens to engulf his work.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Jul 19, 2015

4/5

Wenders introduces us to an intelligent, rigorous man who thinks hard about the structures that impose hardship on the powerless.

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Diego Batlle

Otroscines.com

Oct 17, 2023

2.5/5

... Beautiful and carefully presented (a la National Geographic), but also solemn and -- as the artist's oeuvre -- a bit exploitative. [Full review in Spanish]

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En Filme Staff

En Filme

Nov 30, 2022

4/5

Wenders' aesthetic in The Salt of Earth is inherent to Salgado's characteristic style, his black-and-white universe that's predominately black as an authentic contrast to the whites. [Full review in Spanish]

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Chris McCoy

Memphis Flyer

Jan 9, 2020

Co-directors Win Wenders' and Salgado's son Juliano's documentary chronicling the life of the photographer is so full of jaw-dropping moments that getting up close and personal with a whale merits only a passing mention.

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Fernando D

@Maqroll Apr 21, 2026

Artistic sensitive. Best documentary seen in many years

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 Nov 10, 2024

Documentaries profiling photographed testaments typically enriching feats over deepened scenic beauty, but no more [respectfully] than what Salgado also captured as his legacy is like what a picture’s worth in terms of words with unflinching rawness weighed volume in sorrowful shocks. (B+)

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Georgan G

@RT98616417 Jul 28, 2024

This documentary is as moving as it is breath-taking. Many parts made my heart ache. Some parts put a huge smile on my face. Positively. amazing. cinematography.

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vander a

@RT27493688 Nov 5, 2022

Par excellence. Should be shown on the first day of film school for all wannabe film makers. If you can even come close to achieving this level of filmmaking then you can call yourself an artist.

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colin m

@RT35044827 Jul 8, 2022

Insightful documentary about aspects of the world as seen by photographer Sebastiao Salgado. In French with subtitles.

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Mar 1, 2022

I left this review by accident on the wrong movie and want to delete it.

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Wim Wenders

Director

Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Director

Sebastião Salgado

Self

Wim Wenders

Narrator

Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Narrator

Hugo Barbier

Self

The Salt of the Earth: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Juliano Ribeiro Salgado co-directs a look at the career of his father, photographer Sebastião Salgado.

Director: Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Producer: David Rosier
Screenwriter: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders, David Rosier
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Decia Films, Amazonas Images, Solares Fondazione delle Arti
Rating: PG-13 (Images of Violence/Suffering|Disturbing Images|Nudity|Thematic Material)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 27, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.1M
Runtime: 1h 49m

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