Domestic Violence
Zipporah Films | Release Date: January 30, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
85
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The New YorkerDavid Denby
Judged both as reporting and as art -- many of Wiseman's films have a poetic density of structure -- it is a series without parallel in movie history. [11 Feb 2002, p. 92]
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Results are illuminating, harrowing, and riveting. Read full review
90
SlateDavid Edelstein
If I didn't believe that the experience of watching Domestic Violence would change the world for the better, I wouldn't believe in the power of movies. And I wouldn't do what I do. Read full review
90
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
Wiseman lets the material breathe in a manner unique to the subject. Read full review
90
Chicago ReaderReece Pendleton
Devastating. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Be forewarned: The movie lasts three hours and 16 minutes, and nearly all of it deals with subjects that polite society (and even rude society) tends to ignore or evade. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Wiseman reveals the victims of domestic abuse in all of their pity and terror. Read full review
80
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
The most compelling Wiseman epic of recent years -- reminiscent of his hellish 1975 masterpiece, "Welfare," in its open-ended articulation of chaotic, violent, luckless lives. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
While maintaining the appearance of clinical objectivity, this sad, occasionally horrifying but often inspiring film is among Wiseman's warmest. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
The picture itself is about, yes, cycles, and as tiresome as that sounds, 10 minutes into the film you'll be white-knuckled and unable to look away. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Wiseman's film is revealing. But it is also a silent rebuke to a society that tries to hide this pervasive problem behind a smug vision of itself. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
In an era when documentaries are looking more and more glossy, it's almost refreshing to see the austere approach taken by veteran Frederick Wiseman. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
A bit too long. Conceptually, it's sensible to keep the camera running while these women bare their souls, but in practical terms, the gist of some of their stories would have sufficed. Nevertheless, Wiseman has scored another considerable achievement in the documentary form. Read full review
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