57
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 85NPRElla TaylorNPRElla TaylorCrialese is a sentimentalist at heart, but a fine one, and his compassion for the wretched of the earth is thrillingly amped by the movie's ecstatic imagery.
- 80Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinA stirring commentary on our better angels.
- 63New York PostFarran Smith NehmeNew York PostFarran Smith NehmeEurope’s immigration dilemma was also the focus of Aki Kaurismaki’s winsome “Le Havre,” and the Africans themselves were front and center in Moussa Touré’s “La Pirogue.” This film is somewhat less effective; Crialese’s message seems to take priority over a deeper sense of individuals.
- 63Boston GlobePeter KeoughBoston GlobePeter KeoughThe story gets both complicated and predictable.
- 63Washington PostStephanie MerryWashington PostStephanie MerryThe story starts to feel crowded, especially when each character seems instantaneously at odds with another. One set of opposing forces would probably suffice.
- 60Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearAs with his previous film Golden Door (2006), Crialese proves that he’s more adept when evoking a lyrical naturalism practiced by his directorial ancestors than when he’s hand-wringing over social issues.
- 50Slant MagazineTomas HachardSlant MagazineTomas HachardIts self-seriousness never allows it to become the realist counterpoint to Aki Kaurismäki's tragicomic approach in Le Havre that one initially hopes it will be.
- 50The New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe New York TimesNicolas RapoldAs Terraferma tightens its focus on a courageous resolution of tough issues, too much nuance is jettisoned along the way.
- 30Village VoiceChuck WilsonVillage VoiceChuck WilsonIt's all very predictable, very Hollywood. Storytelling cliché, it would seem, knows no borders.