Folktales
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: July 25, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
89
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesJul 31, 2025
By film’s end, my cheeks were wet with feeling so many feelings for these young people just getting going. I am in awe of their boldness. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyJul 25, 2025
Folktales suggests that finding the threads connecting us to our collective past is work of great healing and rejuvenation. Read full review
83
IndieWireKate ErblandJan 30, 2025
We are treated to all the joys and pains of 10 transformative months, with Ewing and Grady taking us inside an experience that’s both specific and oddly universal. Read full review
83
The Daily BeastNick SchagerJan 25, 2025
With formal polish and deep compassion, it proves to be the most heartwarming film of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesTara BradyDec 3, 2025
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady cemented their reputation for tender portraits of young people blossoming away from home with their earlier films The Boys of Baraka, Detropia and the Oscar-nominated Jesus Camp. With Folktales, the veteran documentary duo return to familiar thematic terrain with renewed compassion. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithJul 24, 2025
There is a lot of untapped potential here, and a reality-TV series covering the same subject would be welcome. Nevertheless, inspiring true stories about youth are a little too scarce these days, and “Folktales” is not only magical and warm, it’s also a bracing interlude of good cheer. Read full review
80
The New York TimesSheri LindenJul 24, 2025
There is poetry as well as deep affection in their close-ups of people and dogs, and lessons for any age in the way students tumble off their sleds and get right back up. Read full review
75
Washington PostTy BurrAug 1, 2025
The great satisfaction of this documentary is seeing the troubled children of the early scenes emerge with a maturity and equanimity that comes from pushing oneself past the furthest you thought you could go. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 27, 2025
Watching unhappy, uncertain children grow in confidence as they learn, bond and then run loving, yipping, straining sled dogs is incredibly touching. Read full review
75
The Film StageDan MeccaJul 23, 2025
Folktales captures a crucial moment in the lives of these young adults amidst a very particular setting with stark, unblinking honesty. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleAug 1, 2025
It looks exhilarating, and if the filmmakers are ultimately there to play, not probe, that’s fine, even if you may not know these kids at the end any better than you did at the beginning. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineAna CarpenterJul 25, 2025
At its best, Folktales paints a grounded, nuanced picture of what it means to be a young person. Read full review
70
ColliderTaylor GatesJan 30, 2025
Folktales' earnest, sensitive approach is its superpower, showcasing universal challenges being processed in a specific and singular way. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergJan 30, 2025
Folktales is an easily embraceable coming-of-age documentary that makes up for what it lacks in depth with its surplus of wise, vaguely anthropomorphized canine companions. Read full review
70
Screen DailyTim GriersonJan 30, 2025
Ewing and Grady want to leave viewers with a heartwarming message about the capacity of people to discover their true selves. Read full review
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