I know organ trafficking is a huge issue in some countries.   I don’t comment on it on my blog because it’s a tough situation.

I can understand why some patients would undertake the risk because of the massive shortage of organs.

So I was expecting this documentary to be grim & even possibly somewhat sensationalistic from the description.  That could not be farther from the truth.

Kidneys on Ice is actually is very balanced. It does touch on trafficking but doesn’t glamorize it.  It shows how the poor are exploited & the impact such trafficking has on people, but it’s an interesting study on the global donation shortage as whole.

Granted the statistics are dated, as this documentary was made in 2008,  still it’s worth a watch, both for the personal stories & the global view.

I find myself wishing they’d make a follow-up in a few years at the 10 year mark & re-profile the countries to see if anything has changed, either for better or worse.

It does focus on kidneys, but does mention other transplants.

All in all, I thought it was very well researched & presented in a balanced way. I’m very glad I watched it.

It in no way romanticizes trafficking or illegal donations & transplants, but it does touch on certain factors as to why in some countries it is a thriving business.  I think this is an important distinction & important for people to understand.

If given the opportunity & I find them, I’d be willing to watch Anja Dalhoff’s other documentaries  as she takes a very investigative, well-researched, & well presented approach to her documentaries.

The company Danish Doc Productions has some great films on the subject, like this one.

I think at a later time, I might come back and order it.

They also have very fascinating films on human trafficking & fetal alcohol syndrome.

For those with Amazon Prime,  I checked & they did offer it for viewing under their collection.  But I found it while trying out content on Fandor.