Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
Content Media | Release Date: November 16, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertNov 14, 2012
Given the grievousness of their sins, one wonders why the church continues to shelter them. Might it not be more appropriate to excommunicate them, and refer them to the attention of the civil authorities? Read full review
85
NPRMark JenkinsNov 15, 2012
The movie revisits the themes (and some of the same characters) of Amy Berg's chilling 2006 chronicle "Deliver Us from Evil." But it reaches further, expanding from one American diocese to Ireland, Italy, the Vatican and the career of the current pope. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnNov 15, 2012
Gibney's narrative drags to some extent when the focus widens to explore the Vatican's overall policy for covering up sex scandals, but he successfully demonstrates the systematic failure of a system designed work flawlessly on the basis of spirituality that never existed in the first place. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubAlison WillmoreNov 14, 2012
Mea Maxima Culpa is not gentle about placing blame on a structure that elevates priests above the rest of mankind and prioritizes maintaining an appearance of pious perfection over addressing some grievous wrongs committed. Read full review
83
The PlaylistJessica KiangNov 14, 2012
By turns moving, absorbing and downright rage-inducing. Read full review
80
EmpireOlly RichardsFeb 11, 2013
It may look like a documentary but Gibney's film is a horror film in every sense. Essential, uncomfortable viewing. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. ScottNov 16, 2012
There is something to be said for a clear and unblinking recitation of facts, and thankfully Mr. Gibney does a lot of that. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirNov 16, 2012
One of the most intriguing tangents in Mea Maxima Culpa involves the Rev. Gerald Fitzgerald, founder of the Servants of the Paraclete, a Catholic congregation established to help priests who were struggling with celibacy, alcoholism and other personal issues. Read full review
80
Village VoiceMarsha McCreadieNov 13, 2012
Silence might be the most perfect expression of scorn, as the saying goes, but like Edvard Munch's "The Scream," you don't have to hear it to get the horror. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNov 12, 2012
Beyond the Mafia-like code of silence, it comes down to this: The guys at the top reserved their compassion for priests like Father Murphy in the belief that the boys were young and would get over it. No one of true faith will get over Maxima Mea Culpa. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeNov 12, 2012
Damning documentary pairs an individual sex-abuse case with analysis of institutional dysfunction at the Vatican. Read full review
70
VarietyJustin ChangNov 12, 2012
A powerful, necessary contribution to a chilling body of reportage that, one senses by film's end, has just begun to take stock of the human costs of a monstrous conspiracy. Read full review
63
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeNov 16, 2012
Some of the film's flourishes are ill-judged. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineTomas HachardNov 11, 2012
Alex Gibney's latest lacks a certain cinematic depth, but that doesn't take away from its admirable reporting. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNov 15, 2012
Fearless nonfiction filmmaker Alex Gibney ("Taxi to the Dark Side," "Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer") details a history of horrific abuse by Catholic clergy in this tough-to-watch documentary. Read full review
40
Time OutDavid FearNov 13, 2012
Mea Maxima Culpa only gets messier the more it tries to iris out to a larger indictment. The central tragedy ends up diluted to a fault. Read full review
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