In Bloom
Big World Pictures | Release Date: January 10, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Boston GlobePeter KeoughApr 16, 2014
Despite the seeming inevitability of tragedy and despair, In Bloom remains true to its title. Though political and personal upheaval threatens to overwhelm them, Eka and Natia’s clarity and courage resist the ignorance, injustice, and rage all around. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloJan 8, 2014
Keenly observed, geographically specific portraits of adolescence are always welcome, but there’s definitely something to be said for charging the genre’s usual tender lyricism with an ever-present threat of life-altering violence. Read full review
80
The GuardianMike McCahillSep 22, 2014
The film finds the subtle tells that suggest these free-roaming girls might themselves have become prisoners of war, while enveloping its heroines in a persuasive turbulence: unpredictable, never forced, and forever compelling. Read full review
80
CineVueDaniel GreenMay 3, 2014
Featuring two outstanding lead performances from bright young talents Lika Babluani and Mariam Bokeria, Ekvtimishvili and Groß immerse their audience in the detritus of a country in tatters, whilst at the same time delicately nurturing two intertwining female maturation tales - with all that entails. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonCath ClarkeApr 29, 2014
As arthouse coming-of-age films go, this is brilliant – smart and sensitive with a screw-you feminist streak. And it’s beautifully acted by two first-time actresses playing Eka and Natia, who have been friends forever. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzFeb 19, 2014
In Bloom, whose title proves more and more ironic as the film goes on, is a fascinating snapshot of a country at war with itself (literally, eventually) as seen through the eyes of two teenage girls, whose lives are complicated enough as it is. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyFeb 6, 2014
You can feel how personal a film In Bloom is and how promising a first feature this is for one of the country's new wave artists. Read full review
80
NPRTomas HachardJan 10, 2014
More directly, In Bloom follows on 2012's "The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear," a documentary by Tinatin Gurchiani that offered bleak vignettes about the lives of young Georgians. Read full review
80
Village VoiceCalum MarshJan 7, 2014
This is a film for which the landscape, both social and material, is paramount. Read full review
75
Washington PostStephanie MerryJun 26, 2014
There is an obliqueness to In Bloom. Writer Nana Ekvtimishvili, who directed the movie with Simon Gross, doesn’t spell things out, and the complete story never comes into focus... But when the truth is so troubling, sometimes part of the story is more than enough. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerJan 10, 2014
It’s a universal story that is also, by virtue of its very particular time and place, a singular experience. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineOscar MoraldeJan 6, 2014
The foreclosure of possibilities provided by the use of the long take assists in the indictment of chauvinism and patriarchal brutality that underpin, directly and indirectly, many moments in the film. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternFeb 6, 2014
This adroit and understated coming-of-age film reminded me of the New Wave of Czech films in the 1960s, but with a distinctive poignancy that translates to wisdom. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJan 13, 2014
In Bloom feels, more than anything else, like a war movie. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJan 9, 2014
The two lead performances — Lika Babluani as Eka and Mariam Bokeria as Natia — are direct and unaffected, but also enigmatic in the way that nonprofessional screen acting can be in the hands of a sensitive director. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianMarc MohanMar 6, 2014
While In Bloom offers an authentic slice of life from a particular time and place, it never gets close enough to its characters, physically or emotionally, to really hit home. Read full review
63
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeJan 10, 2014
In terms of its outlook for young girls in Georgia, the movie title might as well be “Buried Alive.” Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua RothkopfJan 8, 2014
A cute suitor shows up at Natia’s side with the gift of a pistol (for her protection, he insists), and you wait in vain for it to go off. Rather, the fireworks come in last-act shouting bouts, sincere if slightly disappointing. Read full review
50
The DissolveAndrew LapinJan 9, 2014
It’s appropriately weighty and filled with loss-of-innocence undertones and some fun cultural detours, yet the film’s odd flatness makes it hard to invest in. Read full review
More From This Movie

72 Critic Reviews

7.8 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL