During Sewell’s stint at the First Unitarian Church of Portland, the congregation nearly tripled. A good listener with an engaging style in the pulpit, Sewell became an integral part of her parishioners’ lives. Yet, she was only fulfilled in her professional life. Lonely without a suitable life partner and still struggling with the pain of a chaotic childhood, Sewell finds herself at a turning point. In something of a leap of faith, Sewell announces her retirement, hoping to finally resolve these issues.
Good people of any faith will hope Dr. Sewell attains personal satisfaction and romantic fulfillment, just on principle. However, an entire feature documentary largely devoted to her pursuit of romance will test audiences’ standards of the cinematic. Indeed, Raw’s most touching moment has to be Sewell’s courageously revealing homely addressing her tragically flawed father. As for her new silver-haired gentleman friend, God bless them both, but their courtship is just not riveting movie magic.
Though Sewell is notable spiritual figure of the left, Raw wisely almost entirely avoids partisanship. (That “War is never the answer” sign in her yard surely refers to Libya, right?) However, if the film had allowed more time for Dr. Sewell to discuss the Unitarian Universalist theology (as she does in this uncharacteristically informative HufPo piece), it would have made Raw far more relevant and even educational for many viewers.
