Timbuktu (2015)
88%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
28 wins & 21 nominations total
Gracefully assembled and ultimately disquieting, Timbuktu is a timely film with a powerful message
Timbuktu is a film that will make you laugh, cry, and feel all the emotions in between. It’s a powerful statement against extremism, but it’s also a beautifully crafted work of art. Sissako’s ability to balance humor and social commentary is truly impressive. The film is both entertaining and thought-provoking, and it’s definitely worth a watch. Don’t let the heavy subject matter scare you away – Timbuktu is a must-see.
Production Company(ies)
American Zoetrope Zoetrope Studios,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Oualata, Mauritania
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements
Year of Release
2014
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):French, Arabic, Bambara, English, Songhay, Tamashek
-
Country of origin:France, Mauritania
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jun 9, 2015
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Ibrahim Ahmed, Toulou Kiki, Abel Jafri, Fatoumata Diawara, Hichem Yacoubi, Kettly Noël, directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, written by Abderrahmane Sissako, Kessen Tall, drama, PG-13, Rémi Burah, Etienne Comar, Sylvie Pialat, Olivier Père produced by, $1.1M box office, critic reviews, Islamic fundamentalists, Malian cattleman, tragic accident, timely film, powerful message, disquieting, social conscience, comic sensibility, figures of fear, figures of mockery, poetic work of cinema, protest film, moralistic discourse, bleak, whispered condemnation, terror, stark beauty, audience score, thematic elements, some violence, French (France), 1h 37m, scope (2.35:1) aspect ratio
Worldwide gross: $7,179,391
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $8,972,424
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,999
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 978,454
US/Canada gross: $1,076,075
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,344,822
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,115
US/Canada opening weekend: $45,110
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $56,376
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,156
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Toulou Kiki – Satima
Abel Jafri – Abdelkrim
Fatoumata Diawara – Fatou
Hichem Yacoubi – Djihadiste
Kettly Noël – Zabou
Director(s)
Abderrahmane Sissako
Writer(s)
Abderrahmane Sissako, Kessen Tall
Producer(s)
Rémi Burah, Etienne Comar, Sylvie Pialat, Olivier Père
Film Festivals
Cannes, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
28 wins & 21 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (124) | Top Critics (55) | Fresh (122) | Rotten (2)
Calling Sissako a brilliant filmmaker is an understatement.
March 7, 2017
Dwight Brown
National Newspaper Publishers Association
TOP CRITIC
It’s skilful, sardonic, honourably humane. Are those qualities, today, enough?
December 30, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
Sissako, who always has balanced his social conscience with a stridently comic sensibility, frames the Islamists as figures of fear, but also of mockery.
December 30, 2015
Adam Nayman
The Walrus
TOP CRITIC
For a film that makes you sick with dread, Timbuktu has a light, at times glancing touch.
December 30, 2015
David Edelstein
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
What makes it so unusually compelling as a protest film is that it’s also a richly poetic work of cinema – witty, beautiful and even, sobering though it is, highly entertaining.
May 31, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Jonathan Romney
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
This is a film in which small pieces stand in for a daunting and horrifying whole.
May 29, 2015
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
Some movies need time and distance to establish themselves and prove their greatness. ‘Timbuktu’ only needs 17 minutes to establish itself as a masterwork.
October 11, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Michael J. Casey
Michael J. Cinema
Timbuktu is a strong statement against the extreme Islamic militants who seem to take the moral high ground and impose their laws upon people they don’t understand.
February 21, 2021
Dustin Chang
ScreenAnarchy
Timbuktu, is a drama of political subtlety that, being brutally honest, develops a powerful moralistic discourse. [Full review in Spanish]
June 26, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
As the story of a cross-section of the people living under the occupation of misogynistic Islamist extremists, you might expect Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu to be bleak . It’s the opposite. [TOP 50 FILMS OF THE DECADE]
December 4, 2019
Alex Heeney
Seventh Row
Told with disarming simplicity, it’s a story of terror that quietly emerges from stark beauty.
August 8, 2019
Brian D. Johnson
Maclean’s Magazine
This isn’t a grand political statement; it’s a whispered condemnation that carries with it a great and noble weight.
July 5, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)…
Plot
A Malian cattleman and his family face the wrath of Islamic fundamentalists after a tragic accident in the powerful and timely drama, Timbuktu.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Timbuktu.
Abderrahmane-Sissako.jpg
88%
Girlhood (2015)
88%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: 11 wins & 22 nominations
Powerfully acted and smartly scripted, Girlhood offers a fresh perspective on familiar cinematic territory
Girlhood is a coming-of-age film that follows the story of Marieme, a young black girl living in the projects of Paris. While the film deals with heavy themes such as poverty and violence, it manages to avoid the usual urban genre trappings and instead focuses on the power of friendship and girlhood itself. The film is honest, empowering, and electrifying, with a tower of power performance from Karidja Toure. Overall, Girlhood is a unique and affecting film that offers a clear-eyed reflection on the experiences of young black girls in Paris.
Production Company(ies)
Walt Disney Pictures, Lin Pictures, Rideback
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Cité de la Noue, Bagnolet, Seine-Saint-Denis, France
MPAA / Certificate
Unrated
Year of Release
2014
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):French
-
Country of origin:France
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): May 19, 2015
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Marietou Touré, Cyril Mendy, Idrissa Diabaté, directed by Céline Sciamma, written by Céline Sciamma, Rémi Burah, Bénédicte Couvreur, Olivier Père, Drama, box office gross $60.0K, budget unknown, reviewed by Philippa Hawker, Barbara Speed, Donald Clarke, Mark Kermode, Sue Harris, Leslie Felperin, Lisa Wright, Dustin Chang, Nicole Ackman, Nikki Baughan, Hanna B, female-centric, coming-of-age, Paris, all-girl gang, projects, undereducated, black, working-class, adolescence, friendship, empowerment, electrifying, honest, real, fresh perspective, familiar cinematic territory
Worldwide gross: $1,862,990
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,328,267
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,373
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 253,900
US/Canada gross: $60,765
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $75,941
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,701
US/Canada opening weekend: $7,667
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $9,582
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,711
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Assa Sylla – Lady
Lindsay Karamoh – Adiatou
Marietou Touré – Fily
Cyril Mendy – Djibril
Idrissa Diabaté – Ismaël
Director(s)
Céline Sciamma
Writer(s)
Céline Sciamma, Céline Sciamma
Producer(s)
Rémi Burah, Bénédicte Couvreur, Olivier Père
Film Festivals
Sundance, Cannes, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
11 wins & 22 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (82) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (79) | Rotten (3)
In her previous features, Water Lilies and Tomboy, Sciamma focused on young characters in states of transition and discovery. Girlhood follows a trajectory of transformation, something that Toure achieves with effortless fluidity.
August 19, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/5
Philippa Hawker
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
The film is about Marieme, and what happens to her, and perhaps, too, it’s about seeing life in the projects for what it is: a milieu of mingling stories, some happy, some sad, and all shot through with moments of joy.
May 22, 2015
Barbara Speed
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
Speak[s] optimistically to the power of friendship and, for that matter, of girlhood itself.
May 10, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
Honest, empowering and electrifying. Bravo!
May 10, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
This is no quietly incremental coming-of-age narrative, but a brash, at times distressing series of snapshots of the life of undereducated black working-class girls on the bottom rung of every social and economic ladder.
May 8, 2015
Sue Harris
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Tour’s performance is a tower of power that augurs well for her future career.
May 8, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Leslie Felperin
Radio Times
TOP CRITIC
This French coming-of-age film feels honest and real.
June 2, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Lisa Wright
NME
One of the many things I really like about Girlhood is how Sciamma’s script manages to avoid all the ‘urban genre trappings’ while managing to see the affecting, clear-eyed coming-of-age narrative through.
February 14, 2021
Dustin Chang
Floating World
Girlhood is a very unique film that gives the viewer much to reflect on about the experiences of young black girls in Paris.
February 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Nicole Ackman
In Their Own League
[Celine] Sciamma is unflinching in her depiction of the physical, emotional and sociological warfare of adolescence – specifically, female adolescence.
October 23, 2019
Nikki Baughan
Roll Credits
Girlhood stands as a singular, rarely-seen through a female-centric lens, a film about a disenfranchised group of teenage Black girls.
August 6, 2019
Hanna B
Film Threat
Sciamma’s latest is an adrenaline shot of socially aware filmmaking that’s an invigorating and perspicacious exploration of adolescence.
April 3, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Patrick Gamble
CineVue…
Plot
Oppressed by her family setting, dead-end school prospects and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of 3 free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her dress code, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping that this will be a way to freedom.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Girlhood.
Céline-Sciamma.jpg
88%
Güeros (2015)
88%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: 22 wins & 14 nominations
A striking effort that synthesizes disparate influences with inventive flair, Güeros marks a bold step forward for modern Mexican cinema
Güeros is like a fancy black and white Instagram filter come to life, but with a lot more depth and meaning. It’s a movie that makes you feel like you’re in a dream, but not the kind where you’re flying or eating ice cream with your favorite celebrity. It’s more like a dream where you’re wandering around a city you’ve never been to, trying to find your way, and everything looks beautiful but also a little bit sad. It’s definitely worth watching, but maybe don’t force your friends to see it if they’re not into artsy stuff.
Production Company(ies)
Castle Rock Entertainment, Detour Filmproduction Filmhaus Wien Universa Filmproduktion,s
Distributor
Kino Lorber
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
México City, Mexico
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2015
-
Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 48m
-
Language(s):Spanish
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 20, 2015 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 20, 2015
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Tenoch Huerta, Ilse Salas, Leonardo Ortizgris, Laura Almela, Sebastián Aguirre, Raúl Briones, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, written by Alonso Ruizpalacios, Gibrán Portela, comedy, Mexican cinema, student strikes, black and white cinematography, social commentary, Richard Linklater homage, French new wave, inventive, beautiful, brutal, ironic, madcap, grim, social differences, social-political commentary, simple story, stylistic flourishes, emotional bond, parallels of social criticisms, beautiful prose, colloquialisms, music, humor, Kino Lorber, Coria Corial, José Felipe, Ramiro Ruiz, MPAA rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Elissa Suh, Kevin Maher, David Jenkins, Peter Bradshaw, Peter Keough, Nick James, Rosa Parra, Dennis Harvey, Rubén Rosario, Daniel Krauze, Indra Arriaga
Worldwide gross: $102,354
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $127,765
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,997
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,933
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Ilse Salas – Ana
Leonardo Ortizgris – Santos
Laura Almela – Isabel
Sebastián Aguirre – Tomás
Raúl Briones – Furia
Director(s)
Alonso Ruizpalacios
Writer(s)
Alonso Ruizpalacios, Gibrán Portela
Producer(s)
Coria Corial, José Felipe, Ramiro Ruiz
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
22 wins & 14 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (54) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (50) | Rotten (4)
Draining the color in service of the disillusioned youth may initially seem detrimental to the depiction of Mexico, but the gorgeous and striking cinematography emits its own radiance, capturing every gradient of silver.
March 16, 2020
Elissa Suh
StageBuddy.com
TOP CRITIC
It plays like a dreamy, structurally fractured Richard Linklater homage to the French new wave.
November 19, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Seek this one out, then make a friend happy by forcing them to see it too.
November 19, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
David Jenkins
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
A very smart debut.
November 19, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
“Güeros” is brutal, ironic, madcap, and grim.
September 17, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4
Peter Keough
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
As self-aware black-and-white, nouvelle-vague-tribute fever dreams go, Güeros is surprisingly beautiful, inventive and convincing.
September 15, 2015
Nick James
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Brilliant use of black and white cinematography to showcase social differences, social-political commentary with a simple yet fascinating story.
August 15, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Rosa Parra
Latinx Lens
One of the most bracing Mexican debut features in recent years…
October 21, 2020
Dennis Harvey
48 Hills
Ruizpalacios is too busy indulging in stylistic flourishes for us to form much of an emotional bond with the characters, leading to a closing shot that would have been really powerful if he’d tightened the film’s structure.
August 22, 2018
Rubén Rosario
MiamiArtZine
The charm of Güeros, by Alonso Ruizpalacios, is in its variety of… apparent contradictions. [Full review in Spanish]
January 12, 2018
Daniel Krauze
El Financiero
Güeros provides space for this type of dialogue (parallels of social criticisms) delivered through beautiful prose, colloquialisms, music and humor.
June 20, 2017
Indra Arriaga
Anchorage Press
With the Mexican student strike of 99 as a backdrop and the use of black and white photography and playful camerawork, Güeros is a fresh and interesting film that must be seen. [Full review in Spanish]
May 6, 2016
Fernando Moreno
Ibero 90.9…
Plot
During the student strikes of 1999 in Mexico City, three teenagers search for folk-rocker Epigmenio Cruz in the black-and-white comedy Güeros.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no specific goofy or funny comment about the film on Fresh Kernels, but the critic consensus does describe it as a “striking effort that synthesizes disparate influences with inventive flair.”
Alonso-Ruizpalacios.jpg
88%
Diplomacy (2014)
88%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: 5 wins & 6 nominations
Diplomacy is a film that will leave you feeling as if you’ve just witnessed a game of chess between two masters, with each move calculated and executed with precision. The dialogue-based character study may not be for everyone, but for those who appreciate the art of conversation, this film is a must-see. The performances by Arestrup and Dussollier are nothing short of mesmerizing, as they engage in a battle of wits that is both thrilling and poetic. Director Volker Schlöndorff’s use of a small set and canny lighting creates a sense of urgency and desperation that is palpable. In the end, Diplomacy is a love story about Paris, and the lengths two men will go to protect it.
Diplomacy is like watching a game of chess, but instead of pawns and kings, we have two old dudes arguing about the fate of Paris. It’s not your typical war movie, but if you’re into dialogue-heavy character studies, this might be your jam. Plus, the lighting flickers on and off, which is pretty cool. Overall, it’s worth checking out if you’re in the mood for something a little more intellectual than explosions and gunfire.
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Jardin des Tuileries, Paris 1, Paris, France
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2014
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):French, German
-
Country of origin:France, Germany
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2015
Genre(s)
History/Drama
Keyword(s)
Diplomacy, History, Drama, French, Raoul Nordling, Niels Arestrup, Général von Choltitz, Burghart Klaußner, Hauptmann Werner Ebernach, Robert Stadlober, directed by Volker Schlöndorff, produced by Marc de Bayser, Amelie Latscha, Frank Le Wita, Felix Moeller, Olivier Père, written by Volker Schlöndorff, Cyril Gely, character development, smart dialogue, plot, suspense, Paris, historical landmarks, critic reviews, reviewed by Tirdad Derakhshani, Matthew Lickona, James Berardinelli, Leba Hertz, Michael O’Sullivan, Mark Kermode, Dan Scully, Nicholas Bell, Steve Erickson, Neely Swanson, Kathy Fennessy, MPAA rating, box office performance, budget
Worldwide gross: $4,207,242
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,257,989
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,160
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 573,390
US/Canada gross: $230,880
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $288,542
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,468
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,518
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $10,645
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,689
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Niels Arestrup – Général von Choltitz
Burghart Klaußner – Hauptmann Werner Ebernach
Robert Stadlober – Lieutenant Bressensdorf
Charlie Nelson – Le concierge
Jean-Marc Roulot – Jacques Lanvin
Director – Volker Schlöndorff
Producers – Marc de Bayser, Amelie Latscha, Frank Le Wita, Felix Moeller, Olivier Père
Writers – Volker Schlöndorff, Cyril Gely
Director(s)
Volker Schlöndorff
Writer(s)
Volker Schlöndorff, Cyril Gely
Producer(s)
Marc de Bayser, Amelie Latscha, Frank Le Wita, Felix Moeller, Olivier Père
Film Festivals
Berlin, Telluride
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (3)
Arestrup and Dussollier are mesmerizing as they attack and parry, argue and counterargue. They reminisce about their lives before the war and wax poetic about their families – then engage in battle again.
December 12, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
Tirdad Derakhshani
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
A little supporting personality could have made the proceedings feel less like a smartly staged character study and more like a wartime drama.
December 4, 2014 | Rating: 2/5
Matthew Lickona
San Diego Reader
TOP CRITIC
Diplomacy will work for those who appreciate dialogue-based character films in which plot is of secondary importance.
December 2, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
Although we know what happens, Diplomacy keeps up the suspense and pulls off surprises as Choltitz’s decision reaches its inevitable ending.
November 26, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
Leba Hertz
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Its minor thrills come not from not knowing what will happen, but from watching the cagey choreography of two acrobatic minds.
November 20, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
The result is intriguing and intelligent, but ultimately uninspired.
November 16, 2014
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
If you dig “talking movies” and want to try something that’s not in the American “Sorkin/Mamet” smooth-talk variety, Diplomacy is worth checking out.
April 14, 2020
Dan Scully
Cinema76
Though it tends to be a rather dusty historical drama, Diplomacy isn’t without significant merits, a drama depicting the type of barely contained desperation behind what could have been a significant catastrophe.
September 6, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
What might seem like excess staginess in a lesser director’s hands becomes excitingly stripped-down here, especially with canny use of a moving camera on a small set, where lighting keeps flickering due to power outages.
February 16, 2018
Steve Erickson
Gay City News
This is a game of chess played out by the knights, fearful of the king but strong in chivalric code.
September 15, 2017
Neely Swanson
Easy Reader (California)
The suspense stems not from the foreseen conclusion, but from the thinking that leads up to it.
August 21, 2017
Kathy Fennessy
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
The best way to look at his film is as a love story about Paris. One can differ about the interpretation of events presented in the movie. It is hard to disagree about the worthiness of his love.
August 21, 2017
Ian Buruma
The New York Review of Books…
Plot
A historical drama that depicts the relationship between Dietrich von Choltitz, the German military governor of occupied Paris, and Swedish consul-general Raoul Nordling.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Niels Arestrup, who plays General von Choltitz in Diplomacy, is a renowned French actor who has won multiple awards for his performances.
Volker-Schlöndorff.jpg
88%
20,000 Days on Earth (2014)
88%RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
8 wins & 18 nominations total
Revealing yet respectful, 20,000 Days on Earth is essential viewing for any Nick Cave fan
20,000 Days on Earth is a documentary that’s as slow-paced as the number of days it covers, but it’s worth the watch if you’re a fan of Nick Cave. The film captures the essence of Cave’s creative process and his interactions with others, making you feel like you’re right there with him. The filmmakers’ use of lighting and composition is impressive, but they do occasionally cross the line into pretentiousness. Overall, it’s a gripping portrait of one of rock’s last true iconoclasts, and you’ll come away feeling inspired by Cave’s creativity and action. Plus, who wouldn’t want to spend 20,000 days with Nick Cave?
Production Company(ies)
New Line Cinema, Wing Nut Films, The Saul Zaentz Company,
Distributor
Drafthouse Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2014
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 37m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United Kingdom
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 19, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 7, 2015
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $2,105,558
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,631,415
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,342
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 286,959
US/Canada gross: $279,558
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $349,377
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,422
US/Canada opening weekend: $27,879
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $34,842
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,326
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Darian Leader – Therapist
Blixa Bargeld – Self
Kylie Minogue – Self
Ray Winstone – Self
Warren Ellis – Self
Director(s)
Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard
Writer(s)
Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard
Producer(s)
James Wilson, Dan Bowen
Film Festivals
Sundance, Berlin
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
8 wins & 18 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (88) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (84) | Rotten (4)
“Something happens onstage,” Cave says, “where you forget who you are and become someone else.” As much as any documentary can, 20,000 Days on Earth allows us to bear witness to what goes on in that process.
January 5, 2015
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
The title refers to the fact that the day chronicled is ostensibly Cave’s 20,000th alive, though the movie is so slowly paced that 20,000 days seems more like the running time.
January 5, 2015
Tal Rosenberg
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Near the end of the movie, Cave talks about living in the ‘shimmering space’ where imagination and reality intersect. He’s talking about words and music, but he could be talking about 20,000 Days on Earth.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Liz Braun
Toronto Sun
TOP CRITIC
Forsyth and Pollard are visual artists-turned-filmmakers and their fine feel for the romantic possibilities of lighting and composition shape every frame. They’re less sensitive to the line that separates drama from pretentiousness.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
An intelligent and revealing look at one of rock’s last true iconoclasts.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: A-
Chris Nashawaty
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
You don’t just meet and learn about Nick Cave in “20,000 Days,” you feel him.
October 24, 2014 | Rating: B+
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
A gripping portrait of Nick Cave that simultaneously mythologises and debunks its subject matter…
April 22, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Alex Denney
NME
The performances and behind-the-scenes practices are rocking and revealing. Conversations are generous and surprising; Cave’s monologuing inspiring, a celebration of a creativity and action.
February 1, 2020
Jeremy Polacek
Hyperallergic
20,000 Days on Earth is best in the moments where we see Cave interact with others.
November 27, 2019 | Rating: 3.8/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
We’re carried through in impressionistic fashion, sound and vision beautifully in sync with stirring images of the Brighton landscape where Cave lives and gig footage that betters any recent concert movie.
April 3, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Ed Frankl
CineVue
The film ultimately uncannily honours the ethos of Cave the musician, as it in a sense – like him – enjoys mythologising storytelling and the creative process.
December 2, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro
There’s an ambition to Forsyth and Pollard’s work that’s hard to deny, as well as a refreshingly quixotic commitment to tweaking the generic conventions of the promotional piece they’re making.
November 13, 2017
Angelo Muredda
Cinema Scope…
Plot
“20,000 Days on Earth” is a dramatization of a day in the life of musician and cultural icon Nick Cave, featuring a therapist’s questions and a visit to a voluminous archive.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features musician and cultural icon Nick Cave, as well as appearances from other musicians such as Kylie Minogue and Blixa Bargeld.
Iain-Forsyth.jpg
88%
Norte, the End of History (2014)
88%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: 10 wins & 17 nominations
Its four-hour length is undeniably imposing, but Norte, the End of History rewards patient viewers with an absorbing, visually expansive viewing experience
Norte, the End of History is a movie that will make you feel like you’ve lived a lifetime by the time it’s over. But don’t worry, you won’t be bored. The film is a slow burn that builds to a powerful and humbling conclusion. It’s not a happy-go-lucky movie, but it’s worth the emotional investment. Plus, you’ll feel super cultured for watching a four-hour foreign film.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros.,
Distributor
Cinema Guild
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
Year of Release
2014
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:4h 10m
-
Language(s):Filipino, Tagalog, English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 20, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 21, 2014
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Norte, the End of History, Drama, 4h 10m, Lav Diaz, Raymond Lee, Lav Diaz, Rody Vera, Tagalog, Sid Lucero, Angeli Bayani, Archie Alemania, Soliman Cruz, Mailes Kanapi, Hazel Orencio, Cinema Guild, reviewed by J.R Jones, Peter Keough, Mark Jenkins, Tara Brady, Mark Kermode, Geoffrey Macnab, Nicholas Bell, C.J Prince, Daniel Green, PJ Nabarro, David Phelps, Charles Mudede, starring Sid Lucero, Angeli Bayani, Archie Alemania, directed by Lav Diaz, written by Lav Diaz, Rody Vera, box office performance, budget, producer Raymond Lee, MPAA rating, visually expansive, absorbing, political, spiritual, realism, incantatory rhythms, mysterious, meals, walks, chores, desperate souls, justice, luxury, mobile camera, Hollywood spectacle, suspense, poetic, conclusion
Worldwide gross: $10,457
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $13,069
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,133
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,425
US/Canada gross: $10,457
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $13,069
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,813
US/Canada opening weekend: $2,164
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $2,704
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,842
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Angeli Bayani – Eliza
Archie Alemania – Joaquin
Soliman Cruz – Wakwak
Mailes Kanapi – Hoda
Hazel Orencio – Ading
Director(s)
Lav Diaz
Writer(s)
Lav Diaz, Rody Vera
Producer(s)
Raymond Lee
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
10 wins & 17 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (40) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (3)
Powerful and humbling, this 2013 drama is worth every minute you’re willing to give it.
September 4, 2014
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
A political and spiritual parable, but related with such subtle realism and incantatory rhythms that it is far more mysterious than didactic.
August 28, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
Peter Keough
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
If the movie’s universal themes don’t impress, its specific details do.
August 7, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Mark Jenkins
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
As is often the case with three-hour-plus projects, a sense of Stockholm Syndrome kicks in, leaving us happy to roll along with real-time rhythms of meals and walks and chores.
July 25, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
Tara Brady
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
Moments are electrifying – the spaces between them challenging.
July 20, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Diaz is dealing with primal emotions in a contemplative, visually striking way.
July 18, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Superbly shot and featuring a host of interesting characters, it echoes a type of intelligent, painstaking cinema from a bygone era.
August 30, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
For those willing to give Diaz’s film a chance, Norte will provide one of the year’s best viewing experiences.
June 18, 2019 | Rating: 8.2/10
C.J. Prince
Way Too Indie
Norte, the End of History offers no easy answers nor happy endings. Instead, we’re deftly (and sensually) immersed in the lives of these desperate souls, where contentment — let alone justice — is a luxury few can afford.
April 2, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Daniel Green
CineVue
Most directors would let the medium be subservient to the rich storyline but not Diaz who elevates and elucidates the themes of the narrative through full mastery of his craft
December 2, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro
Diaz’s embrace of a mobile camera and exploitation stories suggests that “contemplative” cinema has probably never really been a reproof to Hollywood spectacle and suspense, so much as it’s been an extension of spectacle by other means.
October 26, 2018
David Phelps
MUBI
It’s a monumental achievement: a four-hour film you wish could be longer.
September 6, 2018
Charles Mudede
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)…
Plot
An innocent man is wrongly imprisoned for murder while the true killer goes free in Norte, the End of History, a four-hour drama that explores themes of politics and spirituality.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Sid Lucero plays the real killer who goes free in Norte, the End of History.
Lav-Diaz.jpg
88%
Blue Ruin (2014)
88%RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: 7 wins & 20 nominations
Smart, stripped-down, and thrillingly grim, Blue Ruin proves that a well-told revenge story can still leave its audience on the edge of their seat
Blue Ruin is the perfect movie for anyone who loves a good revenge story, but also wants to feel like they’re watching something that’s a little bit different. The cinematography is stunning, and the close-ups really add to the sense of paranoia that the movie creates. Plus, Macon Blair’s performance is absolutely mesmerizing – you can really see the character struggling with himself. All in all, it’s a great movie that’s definitely worth checking out.
Production Company(ies)
Why Not Productions, Chic Films, Page 114
Distributor
Radius TWC
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Virginia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language
Year of Release
2014
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 30m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 25, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 22, 2014
Genre(s)
Crime/Mystery & Thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves, Kevin Kolack, Eve Plumb, David W Thompson, directed by Jeremy Saulnier, written by Jeremy Saulnier, Crime, Mystery & Thriller, Drama, $258.1K box office, R MPAA rating, reviewed by Ann Hornaday, Keith Staskiewicz, Kate Muir, Jonathan Romney, Wesley Morris, Soren Andersen, Michael J Casey, Kip Mooney, Mike Massie, Katie Smith-Wong, David Harris, Cindy Davis, revenge, small-scale production, emotionally attached, stripped-down, indie feel, washed out, pale pallet, intricate score, blood, tragedy, authentic, realistic, visually gorgeous, foreboding
Worldwide gross: $993,313
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,241,390
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,548
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 135,375
US/Canada gross: $258,384
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $322,915
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,436
US/Canada opening weekend: $32,608
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $40,752
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,268
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $420,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $524,894
Production budget ranking: 2,112
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $282,655
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $433,841
ROI to date (est.): 54%
ROI ranking: 1,127
Devin Ratray – Ben Gaffney
Amy Hargreaves – Sam
Kevin Kolack – Teddy Cleland
Eve Plumb – Kris Cleland
David W. Thompson – William
Director(s)
Jeremy Saulnier
Writer(s)
Jeremy Saulnier
Producer(s)
Anish Savjani, Richard Peete, Vincent Savino
Film Festivals
Sundance, Cannes, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
7 wins & 20 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (144) | Top Critics (51) | Fresh (138) | Rotten (6)
The world doesn’t need another empty genre exercise. But as Blue Ruin reminds us, it can always use more filmmakers of Saulnier’s resourcefulness, sensitivity and quiet assurance.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: 4/4
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
With the same brand of realist irony the Coens used to cool down Blood Simple, writer-director Jeremy Saulnier slows the genre’s heartbeat to gripping effect.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: A
Keith Staskiewicz
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Blue Ruin starts promisingly with a hairy hobo living in a blue, rusty, bullet-holed Pontiac on a Delaware beach.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
[A]n atmospheric, elegant piece, a more delicate, intriguingly nervous piece of pulp noir.
July 1, 2014
Jonathan Romney
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Saulnier is also a cinematographer, and he’s in complete control of the film’s conflation of human-scale horror and tragicomedy.
May 8, 2014
Wesley Morris
Grantland
TOP CRITIC
Blair, an unheralded actor, carries the whole picture. He’s in practically every scene, and his performance is fascinating because in his eyes you can see the character struggling desperately with himself.
May 8, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Soren Andersen
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Creates a level of paranoia by telling this tale primarily in close-ups and toying with focal depth.
November 13, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Michael J. Casey
Michael J. Cinema
A visceral film about the nasty business of revenge.
September 9, 2021 | Rating: A-
Kip Mooney
College Movie Review
Unexpected events occur with intensity and force, blood is spilled but never glamorized, and the most unlikely of heroes transforms into a formidable opponent.
December 4, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Blue Ruin is not a truly organic story in terms of originality, but its brutal take on revenge and [Macon] Blair’s mesmerising performance makes it one of the year’s best films that no-one will have heard of.
November 26, 2019 | Rating: 4.5/5
Katie Smith-Wong
Musings of Guitargalchina
For all its chilling realism, Blue Ruin collapses as it tries to fight against the inevitability of its genre and its inability to rise above that predestined path.
November 22, 2019 | Rating: 3.2/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
Rather than give away its sparse elements, I’d rather tell you it’s beautifully paced, and filled with foreboding; Blue Ruin is a testament to the effectiveness of great acting and direction.
October 24, 2019
Cindy Davis
Pajiba…
Plot
Dwight Evans’ lives his life as a beach vagrant. He has no contact with his sister, and his parents were murdered ten years prior. When he gets word that his parents’ killer, Wade Cleland, is set to be released from prison, Dwight decides that he has nothing left to lose and sets out on a quest to avenge his parents’ deaths. Dwight succeeds in killing Wade, but complications emerge when his botched getaway allows the Cleland family the opportunity to vow revenge.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film stars Macon Blair as the drifter seeking revenge for his parents’ deaths.
Jeremy-Saulnier.jpg
88%
Alphaville (1965)
88%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: NA
While Alphaville is by no means a conventional sci-fi film, Jean-Luc Godard creates a witty, noir-ish future all his own
The Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution” is a sci-fi film that has stood the test of time, and for good reason. It’s a quirky and playful homage to American movie tropes, with a European post-war uncertainty thrown in for good measure. Godard’s ground-breaking visuals and deliberate attempts to unease make this darkly enticing film stand out. It’s like he’s transported us to some other world, even if it’s all a colossal put-on. But hey, Godard is having a bit of a laugh, and we’re all just along for the ride.
Production Company(ies)
Stanley Kubrick Productions,
Distributor
Janus Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Esso tower, La Défense, Hauts-de-Seine, France
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
1965
-
Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:1h 38m
-
Language(s):French, English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 5, 1965 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 20, 1998
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff, Valérie Boisgel, Jean-Louis Comolli, Michel Delahaye, directed by Jean-Luc Godard, written by Paul Éluard, Jean-Luc Godard, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Chris Vognar, Ty Burr, Steven Rea, Kenneth Turan, Richard Brody, David Parkinson, Kristy Strouse, Mattie Lucas, Jeffrey M Anderson, Sarah Boslaugh, Andrew Wyatt, Robert Mazzocco, produced by Janus Films, MPAA rating, Alphaville, science fiction, dystopian metropolis, rogue agent, computer, mind control, Natacha, Von Braun’s daughter
Worldwide gross: $47,696
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $508,938
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,735
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 55,500
US/Canada gross: $47,696
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $508,938
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,318
US/Canada opening weekend: $7,298
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $77,873
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,038
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $220,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $2,347,501
Production budget ranking: 2,014
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,264,129
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$3,102,692
ROI to date (est.): -86%
ROI ranking: 1,929
Anna Karina – Natacha Von Braun
Akim Tamiroff – Henri Dickson
Valérie Boisgel – 2nd Seductress Third Class (uncredited)
Jean-Louis Comolli – Prof. Jeckell (uncredited)
Michel Delahaye – von Braun’s Assistant (uncredited)
Director(s)
Jean-Luc Godard
Writer(s)
Paul Éluard, Jean-Luc Godard
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (4)
It’s so archly intellectual that you fear it might splinter if you poke it in the ribs. It’s also endlessly playful in its worship of American movie tropes, and deeply resourceful.
May 29, 2014 | Rating: B
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News
TOP CRITIC
Nothing about this strange, moving work of agit-pop has ever seemed out of date. If anything, “Alphaville” moves closer to relevance with every passing year.
May 1, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
A bracing salute to American gangster pics, with a jumpy European post-war uncertainty thrown in.
April 25, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Despite its age it’s that rare science fiction film that doesn’t seem to have dated at all.
April 24, 2014
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
It’s one of the great cinematic works of romanticism, as well as a sort of filmed revelation of the very essence of science-fiction movies and German silent classics — their blend of social critique, emotional liberation, and paranoia.
April 1, 2014
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
Although this is drastically different compared to the rest of Godard’s oeuvre, it has without a doubt had a lasting impact with its ground-breaking visuals.
April 1, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Visually stunning, but ultimately peculiar, Alphaville isn’t a sci-fi you’ve seen. The deliberate attempts to unease, and extend our curiosity in a stylish display make this darkly enticing film stand out.
July 8, 2022
Kristy Strouse
Film Inquiry
Take(s) elements of classic Hollywood and twist(s) them into a haunting foreshadowing of the Godard to come.
July 28, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
It really does feel like Godard has transported us to some other world, even if it’s all a colossal put-on.
July 12, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
…Godard is having a bit of a laugh…and if everything in this film is just too much of whatever it is, that’s totally deliberate on his part.
July 9, 2019 | Rating: 7/10
Sarah Boslaugh
TheArtsStl
Godard whips this peculiar mélange of cinematic influences and invention into a work that is stimulating, stylish, and irresistible.
January 22, 2019
Andrew Wyatt
The Lens
Always something strangely individualistic, utterly contemporary, and yet for all that, riddled with dj vu, cultural echo chambers, a kind of deliberately outmoded sleight-of-hand.
March 13, 2018
Robert Mazzocco
The New York Review of Books…
Plot
Lemmy Caution, an American private-eye, arrives in Alphaville, a futuristic city on another planet. His very American character is at odds with the city’s ruler, an evil scientist named Von Braun, who has outlawed love and self-expression.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film stars Eddie Constantine as the American private eye Lemmy Caution.
Jean-Luc-Godard.jpg
88%
The Missing Picture (2014)
88%RT Audience Score: 76%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
12 wins & 16 nominations total
Thrillingly unorthodox and emotionally searing without being didactic, The Missing Picture is a uniquely poignant documentary — and so much more
The Missing Picture” is a haunting and emotionally captivating film that uses clay figurines to tell the story of the Cambodian genocide. It’s like Toy Story, but with a much darker and more serious tone. The dioramas are meticulously detailed and the French-language narration and musical score add to the overall hypnotic effect. It’s a unique and subjective account of a tragic event in history that will leave you rattled with ghosts. Definitely worth a watch, but maybe not the best choice for a family movie night.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Star Thrower Entertainment, Westbrook Studios,
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2014
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1 / (high definition)
-
Runtime:1h 30m
-
Language(s):French
-
Country of origin:Cambodia, France
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 19, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 9, 2014
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, Cambodia, Khmer Rouge, Rithy Panh, Catherine Dussart, directed by Rithy Panh, written by Rithy Panh, produced by Catherine Dussart, Randal Douc, Marc Marder, Prum Mesa, French (Canada), Strand Releasing, $51.6K, Tomatometer, audience score, critic reviews, emotional, poignant, genocide, atrocities, claymation, dioramas, archive footage, missing pictures, Pol Pot, Kampuchean Revolution, archival footage, haunting, tragedy, history lesson, narrator, articulate, historical, impactful, top horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows, movie guides, TV guides, horror movies, premiere dates, worst horror movies, careers, newsletter, Fandango
Worldwide gross: $78,097
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $97,602
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,029
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 10,644
US/Canada gross: $52,164
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $65,192
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,722
US/Canada opening weekend: $10,148
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $12,682
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,654
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Rithy Panh – Director, Screenwriter
Catherine Dussart – Producer
Marc Marder – Original Music
Prum Mesa – Cinematographer
Director(s)
Rithy Panh
Writer(s)
Rithy Panh
Producer(s)
Catherine Dussart
Film Festivals
Cannes, Telluride, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
12 wins & 16 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (89) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (88) | Rotten (1)
Panh fulfills his debts to the dead not just by adding to the visual record of genocide, but also by creating a transcendent work of art.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: A+
Michael Sragow
Orange County Register
TOP CRITIC
These battered, scratched pieces of film are eloquent testimony for the terrible offences that happened.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Rithy Panh’s cinema is an exemplary case of the imperative to bear witness.
April 15, 2014
Jonathan Romney
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Many films have examined from many vantages the Khmer Rouge’s nightmare reign, notably Roland Joff’s 1985 Oscar winner The Killing Fields.
April 4, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
As haunting as it is haunted, “The Missing Picture” leaves viewers’ heads rattling with ghosts.
April 3, 2014 | Rating: 4/4
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
A uniquely subjective account of the Cambodian genocide of the 1970s, “The Missing Picture” is the work of Rithy Panh, a Cambodian native who left his homeland when he was an adolescent.
April 3, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
…somehow turns clay into an emotionally captivating storytelling device that, when combined with the emotive French-language narration of Randal Douc and hypnotic musical score of Marc Marder, makes for a truly astounding work of cinema.
May 2, 2021 | Rating: A+
Glenn Dunks
Glenn Dunks
To make up for the pictures we don’t have, Panh uses small clay figurines, hundreds of them, painted, clothed, with individual expressions on their faces, and placed in meticulously detailed dioramas that he seems to have reconstructed from memories…
March 13, 2019
Richard Bernstein
The New York Review of Books
Consisting of a series of carefully crafted dioramas of human tragedy, The Missing Picture is populated by an intense sense of hopelessness.
March 7, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Patrick Gamble
CineVue
There are acts of rebellion and repression… but always subjugating, even in its most cruel or soulless moments. [Full review in Spanish]
November 28, 2018
Pablo O. Scholz
Clarín
A visceral, intimate, and devastating film about ideological manipulation and dehumanization. [Full Review in Spanish]
November 27, 2018
Diego Batlle
La Nación (Argentina)
The Missing Picture is a work of an excessive aesthetic ambition, could be defined as a hybrid in which the director mixes his family memories with the political transformation that his native country suffered. [Full Review in Spanish]
November 26, 2018 | Rating: 8/10
Juan Pablo Russo
EscribiendoCine…
Plot
Rithy Panh uses clay figures, archival footage, and his narration to recreate the atrocities Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge committed between 1975 and 1979.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about The Missing Picture.
Rithy-Panh.jpg
88%
Ida (2014)
88%RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: 1 nomination
Empathetically written, splendidly acted, and beautifully photographed, Ida finds director Pawel Pawlikowski revisiting his roots to powerful effect
Ida is like a time machine that transports you back to 1960s Poland, but without the risk of accidentally altering the course of history. It’s a haunting and beautifully crafted film that will leave you feeling like you’ve just witnessed something truly special. Plus, the fact that the lead actress was discovered in a cafe and hired on the spot just adds to the film’s charm. Don’t miss out on this modern classic.
Production Company(ies)
Scion Films, Canana Films, Creando Films,
Distributor
Music Box Films
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence, language throughout and some sexual content
Year of Release
2014
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:1h 20m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:Denmark, France, Poland, United Kingdom
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 23, 2014
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Agata Trzebuchowska, Agata Kulesza, Joanna Kulig, Dawid Ogrodnik, Adam Szyszkowski, Jerzy Trela, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Pawel Pawlikowski, drama, PG-13, Music Box Films, Eric Abraham, Piotr Dzięcioł, Ewa Puszczynska, Christian Falkenberg Husum, reviewed by J Hoberman, Peter Travers, A.A Dowd, Alissa Wilkinson, David Hughes, Chris Nashawaty, Matthew Turner, Dustin Chang, Richard Propes, Angela L Harmon, Ryan Syrek, box office gross $3.8M, budget unknown, nun, Jewish, family, history, Catholic, Holocaust, black and white, cinematography, artistry, innocence, tragedy, individuality, faith, lineage, potential, Polish cinema
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $22,750
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $24,743
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,795
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Agata Kulesza – Wanda Gruz
Joanna Kulig – piosenkarka
Dawid Ogrodnik – “Lis”
Adam Szyszkowski – Feliks Skiba
Jerzy Trela – Szymon Skiba
Director(s)
Pawel Pawlikowski
Writer(s)
Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Pawel Pawlikowski
Producer(s)
Eric Abraham, Piotr Dzieciol, Ewa Puszczynska, Christian Falkenberg Husum
Film Festivals
Sundance, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
1 nomination
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Foreign Language Film of the Year Winners, Oscar Best International Feature Film Of The Year Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (165) | Top Critics (64) | Fresh (158) | Rotten (7)
Ida is not only an evocation of early ’60s Poland, the period of Pawlikowski’s childhood, but a film that gives the illusion that it could have been made then.
December 31, 2015
J. Hoberman
Tablet
TOP CRITIC
Now that Paweł Pawlikowski’s haunting Polish film has been nominated for a foreign-language Oscar, Ida is back in the conversation. Let yourself be enveloped by a modern cinema classic.
February 6, 2015 | Rating: 4/4
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
Nestled within its sins-of-the-elders narrative is a faintly charming cross-generational bonding picture, pairing a worldly cynic with a young girl taking her last gasp of secular air before giving her life to the Lord.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: B+
A.A. Dowd
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
Trzebuchowska is certainly the film’s other great asset: all the performances are great, but she is not even an actress, having been spotted by a producer in a cafe and hired almost on the spot. You’d never believe it.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
Alissa Wilkinson
Christianity Today
TOP CRITIC
Pawlikowski has a photographer’s eye for composition, and every crisp, monochrome frame could be a postcard from Poland’s tragic, turbulent past.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
David Hughes
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
With her brassy, determined aunt, Ida sets off to find answers and discovers life beyond the convent walls in this leisurely but satisfying journey.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: B
Chris Nashawaty
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
An impressively directed and deeply moving drama anchored by a pair of terrific performances from Trzebuchowska and Kulesza.
May 11, 2022 | Rating: 9/9
Matthew Turner
VODzilla.co
Ida is one of those quiet, artfully crafted little masterpieces that goes unnoticed in the dead of the spring movie season. I haven’t seen anything this year that is lovelier. Don’t miss seeing this film in theaters.
February 21, 2021
Dustin Chang
ScreenAnarchy
A remarkably bold film that is taken in some courageous directions by Pawlikowski.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
If life is made up of small moments, Ida is a full-length mirror.
December 16, 2019
Angela L. Harmon
The NitPic
Ida is permeated with such thick, dank sorrow that I began counting the number of times any character smiled. I had to open it up to “not explicitly frowning” before someone cracked the scoreboard.
August 6, 2019 | Rating: A-
Ryan Syrek
The Reader (Omaha, NE)
Even if Ida is more admirable than it’s involving, there’s still plenty to admire.
June 19, 2019 | Rating: 7.2/10
C.J. Prince
Way Too Indie…
Plot
Ida Red (Melissa Leo) is sentenced to a long stretch behind bars after a heist went wrong. She learns that she has only months to live and is therefore determined to die as a free woman, not in jail. The crime family is headed in her absence by brother, Dallas (Frank Grillo), and son, Wyatt (Josh Hartnett), who need to pull off one big heist to save their mum.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features a breakout performance from newcomer Agata Trzebuchowska as the titular character.
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