85
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The New YorkerDavid DenbyThe New YorkerDavid DenbyJudged both as reporting and as art -- many of Wiseman's films have a poetic density of structure -- it is a series without parallel in movie history. [11 Feb 2002, p. 92]
- 100Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittResults are illuminating, harrowing, and riveting.
- 90SlateDavid EdelsteinSlateDavid EdelsteinIf I didn't believe that the experience of watching Domestic Violence would change the world for the better, I wouldn't believe in the power of movies. And I wouldn't do what I do.
- 90New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerNew York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerWiseman lets the material breathe in a manner unique to the subject.
- 90Chicago ReaderReece PendletonChicago ReaderReece PendletonDevastating.
- 80Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanThe most compelling Wiseman epic of recent years -- reminiscent of his hellish 1975 masterpiece, "Welfare," in its open-ended articulation of chaotic, violent, luckless lives.
- 80The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottThe picture itself is about, yes, cycles, and as tiresome as that sounds, 10 minutes into the film you'll be white-knuckled and unable to look away.
- 75New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardWiseman's film is revealing. But it is also a silent rebuke to a society that tries to hide this pervasive problem behind a smug vision of itself.
- A bit too long. Conceptually, it's sensible to keep the camera running while these women bare their souls, but in practical terms, the gist of some of their stories would have sufficed. Nevertheless, Wiseman has scored another considerable achievement in the documentary form.