Blueback
Quiver Distribution | Release Date: March 2, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinMar 7, 2023
The lovely and lyrical Blueback is a transporting mother-daughter (and fish) drama as well as a beautifully shot memory piece that will reward patient viewers able to settle in and enjoy the film’s accessibly low-key vibe. Read full review
80
TimeStephanie ZacharekMar 3, 2023
This is a movie about close family bonds and a more universal web that connects us, infinitely precious and worth preserving at all costs. Read full review
65
TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanOct 6, 2022
Connolly has turned Tim Winton’s 1997 novella into his own environmental cri de coeur . . . and while the specifics can get a bit clunky, his passion drives our interest all the way to the end. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 17, 2023
Mesmerizingly beautiful diving footage, a drifting narrative and some solid performances recommend Blueback, a sweet but somewhat squishy eco-parable set Down Under and starring native Oz daughter Mia Wasikowska. Read full review
60
Film ThreatAlex SavelievMar 5, 2023
Andrew Commis and Rick Rifici’s jaw-dropping camerawork is worth the ticket price by itself: Abby’s fingers brushing against the grouper, whales scaling the surface of a deep-blue ocean, the skeleton of a blue whale resting among rocks. These visuals make the abundant preaching throughout Blueback palatable but make you long for a tighter focus and a subtler approach. Read full review
60
VarietyDennis HarveyJan 21, 2023
The film adopts a somewhat more grownup, realistic, less parabolic tenor, though its ecology-minded narrative remains a bit sketchy for feature treatment — resulting in a pleasant, very handsome-looking movie rather short on dramatic impact. Read full review
60
Screen DailyTim GriersonOct 6, 2022
This inherently melodramatic material has an undeniable emotional sincerity, although the story ends up being so gentle that it barely makes a ripple. Read full review
50
Original-CinLiam LaceyMar 9, 2023
While limited by a weak script, the film has beautiful locations, an over-qualified Australian cast, and a novel companion. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comNell MinowMar 3, 2023
The scenes under water are exquisitely beautiful, but it is the screenplay that feels soggy. Read full review
50
The New York TimesAmy NicholsonMar 2, 2023
It’s a mournful, stodgy, girl-meets-fish drama about the emotional cost of protecting the planet from its most rapacious predator: the land developer. Read full review
50
The Film StageSoham GadreOct 6, 2022
It’s completely inoffensive but also lacking emotional heft, a result of sloppy story structure and flashback-heavy plotting that may have worked well in the source novel by Tim Winton (who also wrote the screenplay), but drains the tension in this adaptation. Read full review
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