REVIEWS / PRESS
The Hollywood Reporter
January 11, 2007
Bottom line: An unflinching portrait of how a woman chooses to live after a devastating injury and a damning testament to the gaping holes in the workers' compensation system. READ FULL REVIEW
Film Threat
January 13, 2007
...there's a dark sensibility amidst all this Americana. "When Pigs Fly" is a family narrative that is slightly twisted, with a dark humor about it all---not ironic, not sardonic, but not entirely celebratory either....[the film] forces our hand in considering our own judgments, and the power we wield in that moment. READ FULL REVIEW
Orlando Sentinel
March 25, 2007
"Lory has this big spider living in her room, huge. [says Charlene Yazurlo, her mother] And she won't kill it. She tells me the other day, she's all excited to see this spider, the size of her fist, coming out to see her." Charlene Yazurlo chuckles at the very notion of being this committed to life, even spider life. "I don't find that exciting at all." READ FULL REVIEW
Isthmus: The Daily Page
April 14, 2007
...The real story, though, is her increasing social and mental isolation resulting from legal battles over her insurance settlement, a state exemplified by the transformation of her home into a veritable pigsty...Stylistically, When Pigs Fly builds and maintains a satisfying momentum for a biographical documentary, particularly a portrait of depression. READ FULL REVIEW
National Public Radio: WMFE Arts Connection
March 17, 2007
Podcast: Sentinel Critic Roger Moore talks about the Florida Film Festival and When Pigs Fly. (Suggestion: Allow the podcast to download. Then begin about half-way through the podcast to listen to the segment.) READ FULL REVIEW
Orlando Weekly
March 22, 2007
There are two upbeat components to this tragic story...The first is Yazurlo's mother...who may not like her wheelchair-bound girl's filthy obsession but supports and honors her right to choose her own life...[and] the soundtrack by local country songstress Terri Binion, whose voice and music raise the essence of this story out of the muck and into the realm of freedom for all. READ FULL REVIEW
Orlando Sentinel
March 23, 2007
...She's an obsessive, ill-tempered chain-smoker who lets the fact that she isn't taking good care of herself make her a burden to her family. Crazy, you might think. But then...we see the hard life that brought Lory here, the ways she copes with the hand fate has dealt her, and the touching devotion she feels toward every living thing. READ FULL REVIEW
Palm Springs Life
January 6, 2007
...The film doesn't offer quick fixes, just frustration about corporate responsibility and humanity's disregard for the well-being of animals. READ FULL REVIEW
indieWIRE
April 20, 2007
"...a complicated portrait of a disabled woman..." READ FULL REVIEW
indieWIRE
April 25, 2007
"...an inspiring look at a quadriplegic woman and her tenacious efforts to care for more than 700 abused and abandoned pigs with virtually no help. The film captures Lori Yazurlo, a former tractor-trailer driver who was hurt on the job, with compassion and dignity, while effectively incorporating insights and concerns from her friends and family." READ FULL REVIEW
Jacksonville Times-Union
May 18, 2007
A documentary that's tough to watch, hard to forget....It's also a film about family, showing the toll her obsession has taken on Yazurlo's parents and sisters, whether they're emptying her urine bags, dealing with worker's compensation nightmares or worrying that she's descended into madness. READ FULL REVIEW
Jacksonville Times-Union
May 15, 2007
...what happens when the number of pigs climbs to more than 700, and they take over the woman's house, crowding into every room? What happens when she runs out of money and frustrates her family, who's trying to take care of her? What happens when she slips into despair and obsession? READ FULL REVIEW
EU Jacksonville
May 15, 2007
...a story about the definition of madness in the face of tremendous tragedy. READ FULL REVIEW
Jacksonville Times-Union
May 21, 2007
... No one knows what would happen if Lory wasn't able to be with her pigs anymore. As the company [CSX] continually threatens to completely drop Lory's case, the future looks gloomy... READ FULL REVIEW
Orlando Sentinel
August 27, 2007
Railroads, then and now......Going after When Pigs Fly News on When Pigs Fly, the terrific local documentary about Lory Yazurlo, the pig lady of Bunnell. This from the producers..."We have received a subpoena for a copy of the film by a Maryland law firm representing CSX." . ...And here I was, watching the Western remake of 3:10 to Yuma, thinking the railroads lost their wholly evil veneer. READ FULL REVIEW