64
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Screen DailySarah WardScreen DailySarah WardMuch of the movie’s success stems from Contreras, his regular cinematographer Tonatiuh Martínez and the rest of the technical team’s handling of its spiritual musings, with a beguiling mood as crucial as the underlying backstory.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranThis is an unusual venture, both charming and serious, that goes in more directions than anticipated, including more than a touch of magic realism.
- 80VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeContreras’ film uniquely honors the memories and experience embodied in our elders — which it is our responsibility to preserve, and their prerogative to take to their graves, if they so desire.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJonathan HollandThe Hollywood ReporterJonathan HollandThis tale of a young linguist seeking to keep a dying language alive is thought-provoking, visually compelling, and hopefully will help to raise awareness about this indirect form of cultural destruction. But its themes are subordinated to surprisingly bland treatment
- 50Slant MagazineKeith WatsonSlant MagazineKeith WatsonJust as the director seems to be settling in to tackle some heady ideas, the screenplay’s stale narrative complications instead overtake the film.
- 50The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyThe story is not without interest, and it touches on a couple of worthwhile themes: cultural erasure and the way religious and provincial prejudices can suppress love. But its treatment of these subjects is perhaps undercut by its conventionality.