Chained for Life
Kino Lorber | Release Date: September 13, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
79
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleySep 11, 2019
Chained for Life is more than a polemic. There's a free-floating absurdist mood established, humorous and self-referential, allowing space for the audience to not just feel, but think. This is no small feat. Read full review
90
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergSep 11, 2019
Schimberg’s film is odd, darkly funny and — when it means to be — a little frightening. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterKeith UhlichSep 2, 2019
Schimberg confidently blurs the lines between fantasy and reality (more than once a scene that appears to be real is actually fiction and vice versa), though never to the point that it detracts from the people onscreen. Read full review
83
The Film StageLeonardo GoiSep 2, 2019
More than a film about physically different people, this dryly humorous and ever-perceptive oddball focusses on our relationship toward that difference, and the uplifting moment when cinema ceases to sensationalize it, but lets it act as an engine of creation. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Simran HansNov 5, 2019
[A] wonky, charming satire. Read full review
80
CineVueAlasdair BaymanOct 25, 2019
Poignantly reflecting the intimate connections humans can create in a short space of time, Chained for Life is a rich and rewarding experience. Read full review
80
The GuardianLeslie FelperinOct 24, 2019
Packed with rambling digressions, sudden shifts of tone, and playful fake-outs as it shuttles between layers of “reality” and performance, but constructed with precision and assurance, it leaves you with both a sugar high and slight sense of nausea. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleSep 11, 2019
Anchored by Weixler’s and Pearson’s natural charm, Chained for Life stands up as both a quiet ode to the experimental, dreamlike spirit of moviemaking and a seriocomic corrective to sentimentalized sideshow portrayals. Read full review
80
Film ThreatHunter LanierSep 2, 2019
Toying with the audience’s own expectations and predispositions, Schimberg has made a movie that can be confidently called original. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 2, 2019
Chained for Life invites repeat viewing and “cult film” status, pretty much by design. Whatever writer-director Aaron Schimberg’s other intentions, he’s made a must-see movie for film buffs, one you must-see again just to get all the inside jokes. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveySep 2, 2019
At times Schimberg’s gambits feel too coy, their aim too dry despite the sensational hooks. But more often than not, the immediate impact is engagingly droll, and there’s no questioning the overall adventurousness, confidence and originality. Read full review
69
TheWrapMichael NordineSep 12, 2019
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Chained for Life will have you rubbing your eyes to make sense of what you’ve just seen. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerOct 2, 2019
Altman-esque in its disjointed narrative but clear as day in its complexity of vision, Schimberg's film works best in its individual scenes, and scenes within scenes. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeSep 2, 2019
A meta-commentary on filmmaking in general and cinematic conceptions of beauty in specific, the film is clearly enamored with its own cleverness—which isn’t to say that it’s not clever, just that a more clear-headed film could have distilled its ideas better, and been more satisfying as a result. Read full review
More From This Movie

79 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL