65
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichThe movie might very well have come off as a too-clinical experiment if it weren't for Leo, who maintains a rivetingly mysterious aura even as her character's behavior becomes increasingly bizarre.
- 80The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenA small gem of bleak, neorealist portraiture.
- A minimalist, image-based character study that is almost impossibly fragile and yet emotionally robust, Francine is a legitimate discovery.
- 70VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangA glum but tenderly observed micro-portrait of a woman struggling to re-enter society after being released from prison.
- 60At times Francine feels like a documentary as well, an intimate observational work in the mode of Frederick Wiseman or the Maysles brothers, where the omnipresence of the camera puts the characters so at ease that they reveal subtle moments of character that they might otherwise hide out of self-consciousness.
- 58The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonFrancine is so minimalist that it has to rely almost entirely on Leo for solidity, and it would be a far stronger film if it supported and framed her more effectively.
- 50Slant MagazineBill WeberSlant MagazineBill WeberIn a character study of an ex-con who gives her heart and mind to animals rather than people, Melissa Leo's risky performance is ultimately framed with a disappointing, distanced pity.
- 50Village VoiceMelissa AndersonVillage VoiceMelissa AndersonReveals itself to be a project of few interesting ideas.
- What with the unexciting hand-held camerawork, and the off-putting script and lead performance, Francine remains as frustrating as its inscrutable title character.