Alps
Kino Lorber | Release Date: July 13, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The PlaylistOliver LytteltonJul 25, 2012
Alps has proven Lanthimos to be one of the most fascinating filmmakers anywhere right now. Read full review
88
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeJul 13, 2012
The movie focuses tightly and obviously on role playing, but the most unsettling observations concern how fragile it all is - our health, our minds, our denial of death. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineFernando F. CroceJul 10, 2012
Both a companion piece to and in many ways a reversal of "Dogtooth," it builds on that film's surreally terse style and notions of communication and identity without diluting its singularity or concentration. Read full review
80
MovielineMichelle OrangeJul 13, 2012
The climax errs on the side of the overwrought and overdetermined, like an earnest adolescent's first attempt at a short story. And yet Papoulia's extraordinary performance lingers, as does the film's provocative existential fog. Read full review
80
Time OutKeith UhlichJul 10, 2012
Puzzling and provocative, Alps has a lingering power and an effect that is thrillingly difficult to define. Read full review
80
The GuardianXan BrooksJul 10, 2012
Follow the film-maker. Let him lead you by the nose. Lanthimos knows exactly where he's going. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley MorrisOct 11, 2012
With "Dogtooth," the point was: Don't try this at home. Now, the expanded lesson is: Don't try this anywhere. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyJul 10, 2012
Alps, in spite of its title, is a very flat film, from the shallow focus photography, to the actors' monotone delivery. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenSep 20, 2012
The film takes some deciphering, but once a viewer cracks its code Alps opens up into something expansive and rich. Part of what makes Lanthimos so uniquely masterful is that he remains in control while refusing to point toward any singular interpretation. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJul 12, 2012
Like "Dogtooth," Alps works by systematically unsettling our sense of what is normal and habitual in human interactions. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubAlison WillmoreJul 11, 2012
Lanthimos' skill at orchestrating these tense, creepy, shockingly funny setpieces is just as evident here as it was in "Dogtooth," but too much of Alps is left vague. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertSep 5, 2012
A film peculiar beyond all understanding, based on a premise that begs belief. It takes itself with agonizing seriousness, and although it has the form of a parable, I am at a loss to guess its meaning. Yet I was drawn hypnotically into the weirdness. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazineSara Maria VizcarrondoJul 10, 2012
The premise is fetching and feels like a mystery, particularly as the film orchestrates its story to make the work of the Alps group seem like a kind of heist. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisAug 23, 2012
A strange story. A strange world. And strange characters doing even stranger things. Read full review
50
Village VoiceNick PinkertonJul 10, 2012
It's quibbling to draw up columns denoting what Lanthimos, a difficult but undeniable talent, does right and does wrong. He's seemingly working intuitively here, and whatever missteps he makes while feeling his way forward, he manages to pass quite near to one of the essential conundrums of being human. Read full review
50
VarietyBoyd van HoeijJul 10, 2012
The cumulative force of the screenplay and Yorgos Mavropsaridis' editing is not as hypnotic as in "Dogtooth," perhaps in part because those familiar with Lanthimos' m.o. will know what to expect. Read full review
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