Ms. Purple
Oscilloscope | Release Date: September 6, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The PlaylistAndrew BundySep 7, 2019
Chu’s performance is astonishing. Read full review
85
TheWrapMonica CastilloSep 5, 2019
Ms. Purple is a gorgeous film about one of the worst moments of many people’s lives, but isn’t the act of living just learning how to survive these irreplaceable losses? Read full review
83
IndieWireJude DrySep 5, 2019
The burden of familial obligation permeates Ms. Purple — who carries it and who passes it off, who outruns it and who lets it overrun them. It’s a ripe topic Chon clearly feels deeply, rendered in beautiful cinematography and delicate storytelling. It’s also a uniquely Asian-American story, rooted in loving specificity and beating with a universally human heart. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisSep 12, 2019
Ms. Purple is a moody, downbeat drama soaked in color and saturated with sadness. Read full review
77
Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpSep 11, 2019
[Chon's] work is haunting and flirts with delirium, but at all times feels urgently alive. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleCarla MeyerSep 19, 2019
Ms. Purple is the kind of low-budget film, with inexpensive-looking slo-mo effects and an overwhelming score (the filmmakers anticipate any and all requests that the violins be cued) one usually sees only in local film festivals. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleySep 6, 2019
Some of the symbolism has the feeling of being laid on top of the narrative. It feels imposed, especially when it goes from subtext to text. You can see it coming from a mile away. But Ms. Purple works because of Chu's performance. Read full review
75
The Film StageDan MeccaSep 5, 2019
Ms. Purple is lived-in drama, expanding off familiar beats with fresh POVs, an authentic setting, and a DIY style that never feels cheap Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveySep 7, 2019
Though not in their class, Ms. Purple aims for something of the bruised romance of alienation and ennui that Antonioni made his name on (most notably “La Notte” and “L’Eclisse”). The fact that it even lands in the same ballpark without growing too pretentious or mannered — though it’s admittedly a little of both — is admirable, not least for simply being so out-of-step with any current cinematic vogue. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeSep 7, 2019
[A] gorgeously shot and sensitively acted drama, a demonstration of range from the actor-turned-director. Read full review
70
Film ThreatNorman GidneySep 5, 2019
Ms. Purple was an honest love note to the flawed amalgamation of dreams and nightmares that Angelenos call home. It is also another promising piece from Chon that has us on notice. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanSep 24, 2019
The empowerment trajectory of Ms. Purple, whose title may refer both to the color of two dresses worn by its protagonist and to the hue of hard-won bruises she sports by the end of the film, will surprise no one. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 21, 2019
The performances work, despite their requisite flatness. It’s just that the few flashes of heightened drama and the gentleness of the Kasie/Octavio scenes aren’t enough to lift the weight these characters and this story carries. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleSep 4, 2019
If you think of second features as pitfalls of either sameness or overreach, Chon’s Ms. Purple is more curious than most in that it feels like an alluring mixture of the two, a family story with artistic ambitions that’s tone-conscious to a fault, but rarely chord-rich. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineSteven ScaifeSep 3, 2019
Subtlety dissipates as Justin Chon’s film grasps for something louder and more obvious. Read full review
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