This inspirational Australian documentary invites us into the world of trauma cleaning as run by the larger-than-life personality of Sandra Pankhurst, whose response to the chaos of death and squalor is simple kindness.
An inspirational doc about tidying up life’s biggest messes using chemicals and kindness.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2022
Clean 2022
Remarkable Sandra Pankhurst, whose beyond-harsh-knocks life was recounted in the award-winning biography The Trauma Cleaner, is the inspirational subject of this life-affirming documentary that captures her indestructible compassion.
“Australian documentarian Lachlan McLeod’s Clean is an affecting reflection on the fragility of life, a sobering reminder that many of us at some point have been perched on a precarious ledge just a bad decision or two away from a fall. But it’s also an uplifting story of resilience, in this case embodied by the spirit, the salty humour and drive of a veteran of the LGBTQ community in her 60s. Sandra Pankhurst doesn’t define herself as a transgender woman, nor as a survivor of child abuse, rape, sex work and drugs. When asked how she’d like to be remembered, she says, ‘As a kind human being; nothing more, nothing less’…
Pankhurst founded Specialized Trauma Cleaning 30 years ago… Homicides, suicides, drug busts, deaths, hoarding, squalor and infestation, sometimes decades of neglect – all are a regular part of STC’s workday… Because her own experiences have acquainted her intimately with trauma, she sees her profession as a way to ease the suffering of others, approaching even the most horrendous situations without judgment.” — David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter