Ellie is a rather remarkable woman on an extraordinary journey determined to give away one of her kidneys.

500 miles away, Kathy endures nightly dialysis and is rapidly losing hope of a transplant until Ellie happens to read her profile on a online website. As their stories and lives weave themselves together over the next four years, both women will face unusual challenges and obstacles.

What is it about such an extreme act of giving that completely blows us away?

In the director's own words, Perfect Strangers asks the philosphical questions about acts of compassion, altruism and, ultimately, who deserves a second chance of life and at what cost.

Perfect Strangers has already proven to be quite popular on the film festival circuit including screening at Indy's own Heartland Film Festival. The film will continue on the film festival circuit throughout much of 2014 with screenings already scheduled through the end of March, 2014.

Directed by Jan Krawitz, a documentary filmmaker with such films as Mirror, Mirror and Little People to her credit, has crafted a rather straightforward yet intelligently constructed and emotionally resonant documentary that will likely leave you examining both your heart and your head as the closing credits roll. Krawitz does an excellent job of making the complex issues examined more accessible and, in the process, she helps her audience examine the questions she raises them while answering them for themselves.

The film's next screening will be on February 5th at Stanford University to be followed by Denton, Texas's Thin Line Film Festival from February 12-16. For more information on upcoming screenings, visit the film's website.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic