Fatima
Kino Lorber | Release Date: August 26, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranSep 15, 2016
Faucon, whose own grandparents came to France without speaking the language, has a gift for artfully removing the melodrama from potentially overheated situations, leaving behind a scenario that is honest, direct and dramatic without any sense of special pleading or situations pushed too hard. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen HoldenAug 25, 2016
If the movie, loosely based on two books by Fatima Elayoubi, tells a familiar story of immigrants struggling to make something of themselves in an alien culture (Fatima speaks some French but reads only Arabic), it does so in a tone that is kindhearted but clearheaded, and the performances are low-key and believable. Read full review
80
VarietyJustin ChangFeb 25, 2016
This poignant slice-of-life proves as modest in length (78 minutes) as it is generous in rueful insight and emotional complexity. Read full review
75
The Film StageMichael SnydelAug 31, 2016
Fatima inevitably falls into a catch-22: every time it presents an insightful new cultural situation, it starts to feel less like a film, and more like a series of richly detailed sketches. Read full review
70
Screen DailyDan FainaruAug 25, 2016
Faucon, obviously very fond of all his characters, carefully avoids the patterns that many genre films fall into. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerSep 16, 2016
Well-observed and unassuming as this film is, it glides along rather too blandly. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinFeb 25, 2016
One of the flaws that keeps the film being as engaging as it might be is the way every shot seems to last about the same amount of time, producing a monotonous visual rhythm that only serves to make the plot seem even more episodic. Read full review
50
Village VoiceBilge EbiriAug 25, 2016
Faucon has built his story around very gentle, glancing blows. But this is not the focused austerity of a Robert Bresson; the director’s level distance and jaded eye lead more to lifelessness than a revealing simplicity of expression. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineClayton DillardAug 22, 2016
The film appears to have been devised to pander to the presumptions of Western, liberal viewers. Read full review
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