62
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldThe Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldIts honesty and power makes it feel large; you live among these characters in their weary trailer park, aching for them.
- 83The Film StageJohn FinkThe Film StageJohn FinkSadie is a grim and moving character study grounded by exceptional performances.
- 80VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonEqual parts coming-of-age story and slow-burn thriller, writer-director Megan Griffiths’ quietly absorbing and methodically disquieting drama is a genuine rarity: a sympathetic portrait of a budding sociopath.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshLos Angeles TimesKatie WalshWhile the pace of “Sadie” meanders and is often a bit pokey, the excellent cast, including Danielle Brooks as Carla, the local bartender and Rae’s best friend, brings your attention fully to the dramatic goings-on in this tiny community.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreDirector Griffiths never lets reality slip too far beyond her film’s grasp, though the sexual complications, all of them, play like melodramatic conventions, some less organic than others. She’s still delivered a convincing portrait of a world and how its limited horizons shape those who might never escape it.
- 63Slant MagazineDerek SmithSlant MagazineDerek SmithSadie remains a clear-eyed portrait of maternal love, teenage turmoil, and the singular type of tight-knit bonds formed, out of necessity in many cases, in low-income communities.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe film suffers from overly melodramatic plotting in the final act that feels contrived. It's far more effective in its quieter, more observational moments.
- 58IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate ErblandSchloss compellingly combines the rangy wildness of hormonal teenagehood with Sadie’s more terrifying instincts, toeing the line between pissed-off teen and possible psychopath with ease. Her Sadie is both brutally dead-eyed and weirdly charismatic; you simply can’t turn away from her, even when you really, really want to.
- 50The New York TimesKen JaworowskiThe New York TimesKen JaworowskiLynskey and Schloss are well matched as mother and daughter, and Griffiths builds a relationship between them as this far-from-innocent teenager navigates her world. That rough journey is worth watching even when this film falls short.
- 50Film Journal InternationalBudd WilkinsFilm Journal InternationalBudd WilkinsGriffiths never quite manages to convincingly shoehorn her loftier themes into the modest narrative, resulting in some disconcerting tonal dissonances.