A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries

October Films | Release Date: September 18, 1998

CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION

66	METASCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Critic score Publication By date

100

David Sterritt

Soldier's Daughter thrives less on Hollywood-style drama than on nuances of personality, details of everyday life, and emotions so commonplace that conventional movies rarely take the time to acknowledge them, much less explore them with loving care. Read full review

Michael O'Sullivan

The events of the movie are filament-thin and insubstantial but, like fine silk threads, they weave together a fabric of surpassing warmth and texture. [25 Sep 1998, Pg.N.63]

Roger Ebert

The film's appeal is in the details. This is one of [Merchant-Ivory's] best films. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Not only was I touched by the characters and engrossed by their story during the 120 minutes they were on screen, but I could have easily spent another hour or two with them. Read full review

Mike Clark

The movie grows on you, lingers in the mind and may pick up a cult. Take away Heat and Dust, Howards End and The Remains of the Day, and it's as satisfying as any movie the filmmaking team's ever made. [18 Sep 1998, Pg.03.E]

Kenneth Turan

Somehow, against considerable obstacles, it has captured something true about families and friendship, creating a texture of believable emotions on screen. Read full review

Amy Taubin

While the acting ensemble is crucial, it's not the only asset here. Read full review

Richard Corliss

The Merchant-Ivory attention to period detail often seems like the movie equivalent of good penmanship. But here it accrues a kind of ethical eloquence. Read full review

Peter Stack

By now, fans of the studied loveliness of Merchant Ivory films savor that they aren't pat, slick or especially action-packed. A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries is a fine example -- themes percolate and evolve into poignancy. Read full review

TV Guide MagazineSandra Contreras

James Ivory's direction is meandering in the best sense: Rarely obvious or predictable, he quietly builds a complex portrait of a intimate family. Read full review

Jami Bernard

Soldier's Daughter is at its best when alluding to the quasi- romantic attachments and undefined crushes that develop in small groups and keep the engines whirring. The inchoate longings go round and round, as subtly as befits the movie's rather smallish canvas. [18 Sep 1998, Pg.57]