Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)
Oscilloscope Laboratories | Release Date: April 17, 2026 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
IndieWireChristian ZilkoFeb 5, 2025
For a film about two young people who are ill-prepared for a massive life event, Mad Bills to Pay is brilliantly restrained about where everybody ends up. Read full review
90
The New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanApr 16, 2026
In his first feature, the writer and director Joel Alfonso Vargas takes a rather unremarkable premise and unspools it with sedulous care. Read full review
90
VarietyCarlos AguilarFeb 5, 2025
Steeped in both unfaltering and pleasant humanity, Vargas’ characters are what some might deem “problematic.” But they ultimately depict complicated mentalities, with shades of true-to-life negative and redeeming traits. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comZachary LeeApr 20, 2026
This is an exhilarating debut that courses with an all-enveloping urgency and life, even if you may occasionally want to look away. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineMaxwell RabbApr 14, 2026
Across the film, Joel Alfonso Vargas delivers an intimately observed portrait of Rico and the Bronx’s Dominican community, folding warmth into the very real pressures that define daily life. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerFeb 5, 2025
This very Bronx tale of teenage pregnancy and inner-city strife can seem familiar in terms of content, but never in terms of form. Read full review
70
Screen DailyJonathan HollandFeb 5, 2025
The multiple scenes featuring family fights feel raw and authentic, sometimes painfully so, because they seem part-improvised: but at times they drag on too long, a sign of a larger problem with pacing and rhythm. What brings it all back from the edge are the performances. Read full review
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