Dina
Orchard, The | Release Date: October 6, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Village VoiceApril WolfeOct 4, 2017
Dina is a story about resilience and a woman’s indomitable will to seek out her best life. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJan 28, 2017
What makes this candid, unpatronizing movie so engaging is that the sexual conflict is never set up as a deal-breaker, rather as an issue the couple has to work through in their own, mostly roundabout way. Read full review
88
Boston GlobePeter KeoughNov 9, 2017
Though he might be uncertain about sex, or even kissing and cuddling, Scott is an incurable romantic. And steadfastly loyal and kind. The value of that is made clear when the filmmakers disclose the full tragedy and horror of what Dina has gone through, and when he sings to her “Before the Next Teardrop Falls.” Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerNov 3, 2017
Co-directors Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles tell the story gracefully, doling out Dina's tragic backstory in excellent increments. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyOct 6, 2017
The film doesn't feel or look like a documentary. It's a character-based piece, but the structure is carefully considered with a clear narrative thrust and an unusual style. Read full review
85
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeJan 28, 2017
We get lots of films about weddings and about courtship, but this is one that actually takes the time to explore the essence of the marital partnership, and the delicate balance between expressing your own wants and needs while also devoting yourself to fulfilling your partner’s wants and needs. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyDevan CogganOct 7, 2017
Both are on the autism spectrum, and filmmakers Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini chronicle the pair’s love story in touching, captivating detail. Read full review
83
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJan 28, 2017
Whereas most docs about “different” people are content to flatter our empathy, Dina aims to deepen it. Read full review
80
EmpireLiz BeardsworthOct 20, 2017
Sickles and Santini’s documentary is intimate, unvarnished and hugely touching, finding universal truths in its two subjects’ unconventional romance. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonDave CalhounOct 18, 2017
If anything, this doc reminds you that all relationships are strange, hopeful experiments in intimacy. And it’s that same hope the filmmakers lend to Dina and Scott’s story: you find yourself willing them along, wanting their marriage to work. You end up feeling honoured to have shared these special moments with them. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeJan 31, 2017
The connection they share isn’t the kind that would pass for conventionally romantic, and yet, theirs is a compelling love story all the same — one the filmmakers follow with open minds, focusing on the lead-up to and days immediately following their wedding. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoOct 18, 2017
Sex is a persistent theme in the movie, and it’s handled forthrightly. Read full review
75
Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonOct 12, 2017
One of the movie’s goals is to grant neurodiverse subjects their full measure of humanity, and to that end, Dina is candid on the subject of sex, where the movie also finds its loose narrative arc. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineChristopher GrayOct 4, 2017
We come to understand the camera’s distance from its subjects as an act of respect that allows the complex, funny, and indomitable personalities to shine through. Read full review
75
The Film StageJohn FinkFeb 1, 2017
Dina will certainly provide fodder for discussion on documentary ethics, but what I do appreciate is its simplicity. It invites us in, allowing us to not only eavesdrop but intimately connect with folks we may not otherwise get to know as we pass by them in Walmart or on the bus. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinOct 12, 2017
From the mundane to the eventful, the movie takes a fairly unflinching, yet respectful view of Dina and Scott’s world. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaOct 9, 2017
As a woman with a seemingly boundless amount of love to share, she gives voice to an urge that most other romantic comedies take for granted. Read full review
70
Screen DailyTim GriersonMar 9, 2017
This fragile, frank film chronicles its subjects with stripped-down intimacy, which can sometimes border on feeling like simple gawking. But it’s impossible not to care deeply about these anxious lovebirds, especially as we begin to understand the obstacles threatening their relationship. Read full review
63
Washington PostAnn HornadayOct 18, 2017
There are moments in Dina that invite viewers to wonder whether Santini and Sickles aren’t veering into voyeurism, such as when Dina presents Scott with a copy of “The Joy of Sex” and proceeds to have a conversation about masturbation and other matters. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenOct 18, 2017
True, this pair has more than the usual share of obstacles in their path, and watching them surmount the challenges is inspiring. I’m just not sure that Dina and Scott’s struggles with intimacy should be grist for my perusal. Read full review
50
The New York TimesGlenn KennyOct 5, 2017
The filmmakers might have cleared up suspicions about their motivations and ethics had they worked them into the narrative. Read full review
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