Manito
Film Movement | Release Date: June 13, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
As a dramatist Eason has a classicist's sense of structure and movement to complement his sense of the cinematic. Manito, which has a special grand jury prize from Sundance among its 10 awards, is a small film with a big impact. Read full review
88
Chicago TribunePatrick Z. McGavin
The film recalls Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets" and the minimalism of films such as Lars Von Trier's "The Idiots." Eason and cinematographer Didier Gertsch keep the cameras tight on the actors' bodies and faces, creating palpable unease. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Manito sees an everyday tragedy with sadness and tenderness, and doesn't force it into the shape of a plot. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Eason's twist of fate and too-sudden ending seems as rooted in Washington Heights as the music that pours from the neighborhood's car windows, the smoke that billows from its late-night eateries, and the stoic resignation inscribed on its inhabitants' faces. Read full review
80
SlateDavid Edelstein
Manito is the rare little movie that gets bigger as it goes along--so big that it can hardly contain its own emotion. Read full review
80
VarietyDennis Harvey
Furiously paced -- just shy of the sensory-overload point -- pic duly merits comparison to its spiritual granddaddy "Mean Streets," not in the usual imitative sense but rather in the freshness, character acuity and low-budget high style brought to a different NYC ethnic milieu. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderTed Shen
Franky G.'s performance as the protective yet combustible older brother is as real as it gets. Read full review
75
New York PostMegan Lehmann
A leisurely, scene-setting start, peppered with authentic banter and winning localized humor, fleshes out the characters in Manito so well you feel as if you live alongside them. Read full review
75
PremiereAlex Kranz
Until the point that changes everything, Manito is more a portrait of a neighborhood and its various characters--and this is the even more impressive part of the film. Once the disasters start to domino, the story becomes a bit familiar, a bit manipulative. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Toward the finish, the movie takes a regrettable curve into melodrama, but the excellent performances never waver. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
A low-budget wonder: rough and gritty around the edges, filmed for what looks like a budget of $1.98, but bristling with energy, passion and intimacy. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeJanice Page
Because Manito is really just an opera without the violins or Viking hats, you probably don't need to have everything spelled out. Its Spanish-English script is secondary to the universal language and timeless drama of family, community, dreams made and dreams dashed. Read full review
70
The New York TimesDana Stevens
Though a dramatic (even melodramatic) narrative eventually takes shape, what you remember is the succession of moods and observations through which it emerges. Read full review
70
Village VoiceMark Holcomb
Unusually impassioned indie. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyJon Strickland
Eric Eason's assured debut succeeds in the way Larry Clark's “Kids” succeeded -- through a feel for the rhythms of street life, and some extraordinary casting. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Eason balances the clichés of a fairly standard story with convincing realism and a powerful momentum that never flags. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
Has an appealing rawness. Read full review
60
Film ThreatMerle Bertrand
With Manito's raw portrayal of its characters and stripped-down cinematography, the undercurrent of impending tragedy is palpable. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
If you shy away from that sick feeling in the pit of the stomach that comes when watching good people make bad decisions, then best to steer clear of Manito, a low-budget indie that reaches near-Greek proportions of tragedy brought on by lousy decision-making. Read full review
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