91
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100RogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarRogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarThis Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection is a searing epitaph for Mary Twala, a veteran performer at the peak of her absorbing presence. And it is a radical international breakthrough for Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, a filmmaker who uses potential philosophical expressions to ask tough questions about the ravaged history of Africa.
- 100New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNew York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriI recommend seeing it more than once; luckily, it’s so gorgeous and spellbinding that it invites repeat viewings.
- 94Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpPaste MagazineAndrew CrumpYes, This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection is constitutionally sad. It’s also angry, restrained, abandoned, exuberant when cracks open between its downward facing emotions, and, above all else, impeccably constructed.
- 91The PlaylistAndrew BundyThe PlaylistAndrew BundyThis Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection, is that rare gem of a film that falls into an unclassifiable category.
- 90VarietyGuy LodgeVarietyGuy LodgeA haunted, unsentimental paean to land and its physical containment of community and ancestry — all endangered by nominally progressive infrastructure — this arresting third feature from Lesotho-born writer-director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese is as classical in theme as it is adventurous in presentation.
- 90Screen DailyAllan HunterScreen DailyAllan HunterThis Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection offers a vivid, beautifully crafted reflection on identity, community and the tension between respecting age-old traditions and accepting the seemingly unstoppable march of progress.
- 90The New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe New York TimesNicolas RapoldMhlongo (who also appears in Beyoncé’s “Black Is King”) carries the movie on her shoulders with an authoritative presence.
- 89Austin ChronicleJenny NulfAustin ChronicleJenny NulfThis Is Not a Burial, it’s a Resurrection is arthouse cinema at its best, a lyrical eulogy from a confident auteur whose poetic touch is meticulous and grand.
- 80Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbelePoetic and painterly, personal and political.
- 75The A.V. ClubLawrence GarciaThe A.V. ClubLawrence GarciaThere are longueurs where Mosese’s approach shows its limits, as the film’s rhythms go from stately to stultifying. More often, though, Mosese manages to fuse his film’s stylistic tensions with Mantoa’s struggles of expression, her efforts to carry on in both word and deed.