73
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The PlaylistR. Colin TaitThe PlaylistR. Colin TaitDirectors Ha and Yi’s unflinching portrait of Lee is also admirable, as the movie shows the overall effects of a system indifferent to people who fall through its cracks. By staying with Lee and his story, from his early years in Korea, to his later years in America as an injured ex-convict, the documentary shows how the damage to Lee occurred, both as a death row inmate and a reluctant figurehead for the movement that coalesced around him.
- 80Film ThreatRay LoboFilm ThreatRay LoboThere’s a throughline in this country’s history that goes from The Asian Exclusion Act to Chol Soo Lee’s case to publicized cases in the last few years of hate crimes against Asians. Free Chol Soo Lee reminds us that when we sit on the sideline and do not actively fight against discrimination and the stereotyping of Asians, real people, such as Chol Soo Lee, suffer.
- 80The GuardianCath ClarkeThe GuardianCath ClarkeWhat makes the film so engrossing is how much attention the film-makers give to Lee’s complicated life after prison.
- 78TheWrapLena WilsonTheWrapLena WilsonIn the documentary Free Chol Soo Lee, first-time doc directors Julie Ha and Eugene Yi use archival materials in an attempt to present their tragic hero in all three dimensions. Despite their efforts, Soo Lee feels just out of reach, but the story of his life remains as important as it is horrifying.
- 75RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonRogerEbert.comOdie HendersonChol Soo Lee’s complicated story deserves to be told; this film does a good job telling it.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeThe Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeFree Chol Soo Lee vibrates with this broader understanding of incarceration.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyIt’s a well-crafted enterprise that leaves its human subject a bit of an enigma, albeit one we empathize with enough to feel sorely disappointed that his tumultuous life never arrived at a place of security or peace.
- 67IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate ErblandIf the film gives us hope for anything, it’s that such a miscarriage of justice can never happen again — and if it does, many will be there to answer the call.
- 60The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergFree Chol Soo Lee is somewhat dry and, as criminal-justice documentaries go, sadly familiar when it strays from Lee’s unique and grim perspective, which includes details of his struggles with prison life and depression.