67
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThis film is joyous, but more than that: It's lovely in its construction. The director, Prashant Bhargava, born and raised on Chicago's South Side, knows what his basic story line is, but reveals it subtly.
- 91Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerAbove all, literally, are the kites. When a character says, "You fly these kites and feel the joy," we know just what he means.
- 90The New York TimesRachel SaltzThe New York TimesRachel SaltzPatang ("The Kite"), Prashant Bhargava's first feature, has a lovely, unforced quality. That's because Mr. Bhargava lets his story, set during the annual kite festival in Ahmedabad, India, tell itself, unfolding slowly as he follows filmmaking's most basic and most sinned-against dictum: Show, don't tell.
- The film is just shy of being overstylized by Bhargava's habit of deftly bringing our attention back to the family and their subtle mannerisms amid the chaotic activity around them. The always wonderful Seema Biswas co-stars as the business man's calm sister-in-law.
- 70Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbeleBhargava's naturalistic approach to capturing the sights and sounds of a city in full revelry on rooftops and in the streets is colorfully vivid - reminiscent of Wong Kar-Wai's silky urban baths - but it threatens to keep the human drama at arm's length.
- 40Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearAs it is, this attempt at an Altmanesque ensemble piece feels a little dramatically flat even as it's dazzling your retinas.
- 38Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerSlant MagazineAndrew SchenkerFar more concerned with indulging a slightly less glossy Slumdog Millionaire-like aesthetic than dealing with the frayed relationships of its characters.
- 30Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonLess Bollywood than Generic Asian Family Drama Lite, when it's not a flat-out sunset-choked infomercial for Ahmedabad and its annual rooftop kite-flying festival.