Poignant though it is, the movie is the opposite of depressing. There is too much life in it.
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Haroun 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.
70
VarietyDavid Stratton
VarietyDavid Stratton
Haroun's film is both touching and, ultimately, almost perversely optimistic.
70
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
By 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.
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Haroun and cinematographer Abraham Haile Biru carefully frame their characters with a painterly elegance that is at times truly startling.
70
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The story of the film is a quiet local tale; the directing is sophisticated.
70
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Abouna starkly defines the masculine and feminine influence in raising children, and what happens when they're not so complementary.
70
Chicago ReaderFred Camper
Chicago ReaderFred Camper
Understated but affecting.
50
New York PostMegan Lehmann
New York PostMegan Lehmann
This 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.