70
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Film ThreatPhil HallFilm ThreatPhil HallTruly magnificent.
- 80The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensPoignant though it is, the movie is the opposite of depressing. There is too much life in it.
- 75New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsHaroun is deft at handling the joys and pain of childhood. He neither condescends nor ­­over-sentimentalizes. It is a story of separation anxiety (for Amine) and coming of age (for Tahir) and it's universal.
- 70VarietyDavid StrattonVarietyDavid StrattonHaroun's film is both touching and, ultimately, almost perversely optimistic.
- 70Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonBy way of a tragic left hook, Haroun's relaxed movie climaxes back where it began, on the devastated home ground. The journey, however pessimistic, is like a gentle handshake.
- 70TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxHaroun and cinematographer Abraham Haile Biru carefully frame their characters with a painterly elegance that is at times truly startling.
- 70The New RepublicStanley KauffmannThe New RepublicStanley KauffmannThe story of the film is a quiet local tale; the directing is sophisticated.
- 70The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasAbouna starkly defines the masculine and feminine influence in raising children, and what happens when they're not so complementary.
- 70Chicago ReaderFred CamperChicago ReaderFred CamperUnderstated but affecting.
- 50New York PostMegan LehmannNew York PostMegan LehmannThis modest little film out of Africa suffers from largely rudderless direction, relying for any sense of profundity on the breathtaking beauty of Abraham Haile Biru's cinematography.