Alila
Kino International | Release Date: February 27, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Gitai's characters are meant to represent the Israeli people as a whole. Just as they question their lives, the filmmaker questions 21st-century Israel. Read full review
70
VarietyDavid Rooney
An ensemble drama laced with lighter moments that depicts the vitality, resilience and moral dilemmas of the people of Tel Aviv, the film is absorbing and at times moving. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Almost a comedy, though not an entirely successful one: It's too acerbic to be funny and too detached to be really moving. Read full review
60
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
Israel's one-man new wave, Amos Gitai, surveys his nation's hardscrabble quotidian in Alila, which dallies with both Kiarostamian spirit and Altman-esque fabric, examining the intersecting lives of a dozen or so Tel Aviv residents. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
The movie...tries to juggle too many characters at once (its title means "story plot" in Hebrew), and in several cases their connections aren't adequately explained. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
The film's drawback, and it is a serious one, is that few of its characters wear very well. The more we see them, the less they involve us and hold our interest, a situation not helped by the bombastic, theatrical style of acting a few of the performers have felt free to employ. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Gitai's film is an interesting, if not entirely successful, adaptation of an excellent book. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
Ultimately lacks the textural depth and emotional precision that marks the work of obvious influences here like Robert Altman, but it does offer a pungent slice of contemporary Israeli life that should prove resonant for audiences interested in the social complexities of the region. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Though absorbing enough, Alila must be counted a noble failure, if only because its efforts to follow the screwed-up lives of 12 hapless souls in a seedy Tel Aviv apartment building finally add up more to mere mimicry than commentary. Read full review
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