Fatima
Picturehouse | Release Date: August 28, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
50
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
10
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyAug 28, 2020
Fatima is told simply but emotionally, prioritizing the sensorial reality of the children's world and the people inhabiting it. This devotion to the "real" makes the holy vision palpable and plausible. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAug 27, 2020
In the flourishing genre of faith-based movies, this is one of the better efforts we’ve seen. Read full review
65
CNNBrian LowrySep 8, 2020
Fatima largely works as a drama, in part because it's so earnestly presented, and unexpectedly timely in dealing with loss. If that adds up to something less than a miracle, given the aforementioned challenges, it's not an inconsequential achievement. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Simran HansJun 27, 2021
Pontecorvo seems particularly interested in conveying the gravitas of Lúcia’s spiritual burden, which is anchored by Gil, who is full of quiet intensity and impressive conviction. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesTara BradyJun 25, 2021
This later timeline, featuring two of the planet’s most wonderful actors, adds clout to a film that, in stark contrast to most faith-based fodder, is gorgeously shot and designed. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeAug 27, 2020
While not especially artful, Fatima honors those who stand by their convictions. That its role models are children makes the message all the more remarkable. Read full review
58
Original-CinLinda BarnardAug 26, 2020
The cardboard scenery look of the 1952 original is replaced with a big cast, drama and lingering closeups. Read full review
50
Film ThreatAlex SavelievAug 27, 2020
Fatima has excellent production design. A lot of care went into getting the period details right. There’s some beautiful cinematography and decent performances all around. It’s just all so mushy and predictable. Faith vs. science, tragedy testing one’s faith – those themes have been explored before, more enticingly. Pontecorvo turns a fascinating bit of history into a by-the-numbers affair, and that may be Fatima’s greatest sin. Read full review
40
EmpirePamela HutchinsonJun 25, 2021
Fatima raises some intriguing questions about faith but sadly fails to make us believe in anything more comforting than the climate of fear, distrust and grief that flourishes during wartime. Read full review
40
The GuardianPhil HoadJun 22, 2021
Given the inherent lack of drama in the kind of unbreakable faith on display here, anyone wishing to tell the story needs to work much harder than this laboured treatment to wring any nuance, conflict or indeed true sublimity from it. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMatthew MonagleSep 2, 2020
In Fatima, director Marco Pontecorvo and his team meld religious storytelling with the flourishes of a historical biopic, resulting in something both better and more frustrating than your average faith-based film. Read full review
40
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergAug 27, 2020
While the film may speak to viewers with a spiritual investment in these events, it does little to bring them alive for others. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesMichael OrdoñaAug 26, 2020
In a pandemic, some might call the film a beacon of hope; others might prefer science to prayer for salvation. As a piece of cinema, though, Fatima is unlikely to be canonized. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzAug 25, 2020
I also appreciated the film’s quick glimpse of Hell itself, which Lucia is plunged into as a warning to whose who won’t accept salvation. With its cheap CGI demons and soundtrack of wailing souls, it was unintentional comedy of the highest order. If you need me, I’ll be laughing all the way to Hades. Read full review
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