70
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyEntertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyAll of the families in Far From the Tree are compelling — their trials unimaginable and their spirits indomitable.
- 80Village VoiceDaphne HowlandVillage VoiceDaphne HowlandIt’s a painstaking inspection of parenthood, which is fraught even in less formidable circumstances than what these families face, and often harrowing. But it’s also a contemplation of what it means to be human and, ultimately, optimistic.
- 80New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinIt’s quite a mix: Far From the Tree throws so much at you that you’ll want to pick up the book and read (or reread) it. You might be surprised that one of Solomon’s subjects is the accomplished composer Nico Muhly, who’s on the spectrum. Muhly (along with Yo La Tengo) composed the movie’s music, which, like the film and book, doesn’t settle for easy harmonies.
- 80Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayLos Angeles TimesNoel MurrayThis is a powerful movie about human nature and how no matter where we end up — and who we end up with — we wake up each day and adjust.
- 75The Film StageJohn FinkThe Film StageJohn FinkIt’s a film with an inspiring message that’s often uneven despite the coherence of its message guided by Solomon. As affirming and enlightening as the experience is, it does suffer from the trappings of flying into these characters lives and popping out rather than spending a considerable amount of time in their shoes.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreSolomon’s book Far From the Tree becomes Rachel Dretzin’s upbeat documentary of the same name, a film that celebrates “difference” even as it accepts the heartbreak and agonizing effort it takes for people and society to change attitudes towards those we have historically treated as “abnormal…diseased…retarded” and “broken.”
- 75RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyRogerEbert.comGlenn KennyPeople can find ways to be happy now because they have more choices, more resources. In a world that seems in many respects to be headed to hell in a handbasket, that’s a fact worth celebrating, and this movie does so in an appropriately humane manner.
- 70The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergAt an hour and a half, the often-inspiring documentary Far From the Tree plays like a companion piece to or a preview for Andrew Solomon’s best-selling 2012 book, which, with notes, runs more than 1,000 pages.
- 50VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeGood intentions aside, Far From the Tree puts all its energy into disproving a thesis that many of us don’t actually believe — that the tree is inherently perfect, and that anything other than a direct copy of one’s parents is a crisis in need of resolving.
- 25Slant MagazineDiego SemereneSlant MagazineDiego SemereneThe very act of having kids and demanding perfect conformity from them is never questioned by the film.