Knafayim Shvurot
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: March 12, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
Evokes grand emotions -- anxiety, sadness, joy -- sometimes within moments of one another. Broken Wings has heart and a poetic soul. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
That the story is so oldfashioned and domestic and the family so average and secular is, in its way, the wind beneath this Broken Wings. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
This story could take place anywhere there are families struggling to remake themselves in the aftermath of tragedy; its universality is perhaps the most potent political message of all. Read full review
90
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Exquisitely calibrated domestic drama. Read full review
80
VarietyDavid Stratton
This poignant film about an Israeli family rendered dysfunctional by the sudden death of the husband and father is a strongly emotional experience despite its tendency toward cryptic dramatics. Read full review
80
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
This poignant, acutely observed movie is eloquent and suggestive in dramatizing a particular trauma in the context of an ordinary Haifa family. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
When the melodrama does get strong, and it does, when bad things happen on a dark and stormy night, we go with it rather than resisting. The film has won our trust, given some heft to its characters and involved us in their lives, come what may. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
The movie's sense of emotional claustrophobia is underscored by a complete lack of interest in Middle Eastern politics, or in anything outside the troubled family unit. Read full review
75
PremiereGlenn Kenny
Bergman wants the viewer to empathize more with the characters’ perseverance than their pain, and he pulls it off, thanks to his sharp eye, compassion, and humor, and of course to the performances. [March 2004, p. 26]
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Heartfelt acting and a sometimes tragic but ultimately life-affirming story make this an unusually touching Israeli production. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
This film is an autopsy of a family that has been sundered by the death of the father and primary care-giver. Read full review
75
New York PostMegan Lehmann
There is much sadness in this finely wrought drama, winner of nine prizes at the Israeli Academy Awards, but the family's hard-won escape from emotional lock-down is ultimately uplifting. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Bergman and his gifted cast do an excellent job portraying the wounded, but still vital, connections that help these people heal even as they fervently believe it's time to give up. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
This intimate, warmly made family portrait always feels true. The performances are particularly good. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
This young writer-director's film seems more real and more moving than many recent political dramas from the Middle East - on either side. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
A believable, tender story of how a terrible crisis can turn out to have a positive, transforming effect on a family as long as there is love. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
The performances are uniformly strong - nuanced, realistic, lacking any wild, flailing emoting. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldMarta Barber
Bergman's debut feature is tender yet disturbing, sad yet at times funny. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
At its best, the movie combines the musical and psychological meanings of a fugue. Sons and daughters and mother take up themes of dislocation and identity loss, and deepen them at every turn. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Broken Wings doesn't stray far from the common melodrama in its setup and resolutions, but Bergman's uncommon sensitivity makes the film feel specific, intimate, and utterly plausible at every turn. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
A sensitive and well-observed drama that, while not breaking new ground, marks its director-screenwriter as someone to watch. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Berman delicately unravels the silent resentments festering in the latchkey home, but the pain is leavened by his droll sense of humor. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
Broken Wings' great strength is that it doesn't overreach. These characters undergo no enormous sea changes, no crazy upheavals. Instead, they find themselves trying to roll with the punches--trying to maintain and survive. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
It's not until the film is over that we fully appreciate the originality of an Israeli film that focuses completely on the family crisis while leaving politics behind altogether. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
If Israel needs a Mike Leigh to capture the angst of its silently suffering working class, it could do far worse than Nir Bergman. Read full review
60
Washington PostMark Jenkins
Well-made, if rather predictable, new-age melodrama. Read full review
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