Neon Bull
Kino Lorber | Release Date: April 8, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
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 New York TimesStephen HoldenApr 7, 2016
Neon Bull is a profound reflection on the intersection of the human and bestial. Read full review
100
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlApr 5, 2016
No matter how rigorously worked out each shot and its action might be, Neon Bull always honors the chaotic looseness of everyday living — the way that, unlike in the movies, few of the moments we inhabit seem to be about just one thing. Read full review
100
IndieWireEric KohnSep 19, 2015
Lyrically involving and deeply sensual, Neon Bull showcases a full-bodied artist in command of his form. Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzMay 12, 2016
The film is filthy with nuanced moments of fierce, sweaty intimacy, all shot with a precise eye for detail. At the very least, it will make you rethink your next rodeo. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineChuck BowenMar 15, 2016
Everything in the film is understood to be a subsumed sex act, with actual sex serving as a contextualizing catharsis. Read full review
83
The PlaylistKatie WalshDec 17, 2015
Mascaro’s film is an auspicious, original, and absorbing work that thrills with its look into this little-seen world and the dreamers that inhabit it. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayApr 14, 2016
The languid pace and barnyard earthiness won't be to everybody's taste, but it's hard to deny Mascaro's vision. Where some look at a rodeo and see sweat and dirt, he sees a poignant struggle, which he illustrates meticulously. Read full review
80
CineVueJohn BleasdaleSep 19, 2015
Although the narrative risks becoming arbitrarily episodic towards the end, Neon Bull is a genuine celebration of its characters and their grounded physical life as well as their obstinate ability to dream. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijSep 19, 2015
Instead of a straightforward narrative arc for the small cast of characters, the film -- gorgeously shot and framed by Cemetery of Splendor cinematographer Diego Garcia -- combines a documentary-like look at their everyday lives with a fascinating if not entirely clear-cut exploration of body and gender issues. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 19, 2015
Neon Bull keeps a cinematic distance at nearly all times, seldom moving in for closeups and allowing most scenes to play out in a single shot. Whether his subjects are shoveling manure or showering down afterward, Mascaro prefers to celebrate these figures in their physical entirety. Read full review
75
The Film StageZhuo-Ning SuJun 14, 2016
Cunningly ambivalent and stickily atmospheric, Neon Bull is an impressive exercise in style that further broadens the possibility of queer filmmaking. One only wishes it could have embedded such daring and verve in a more fully realized context. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloApr 7, 2016
Writer-director Gabriel Mascaro doesn’t really have a story to tell about these folks, but he does have a wealth of almost documentary-style detail to share, plus style to burn, and that’s nearly enough. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJun 30, 2016
The beauty of the film is undeniable, as is the cruelty of the bull's lives. (This is not a picture for animal-sensitive viewers.) Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoMay 5, 2016
So there’s talent on view here, but in service of a questionable proposition, with the whole thing tiptoeing toward the exploitative. It would be nice to see Mascaro try his hand at less volatile material. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireApr 8, 2016
The latest example of what I call an emperor’s-new-clothes film is Neon Bull. Read full review
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