Porcelain War
| Release Date: November 22, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleBob StraussJan 2, 2025
Backed by a feral, driving score from Ukrainian folkloric quartet DakhaBrakha, “Porcelain War” makes the case for art as another protective weapon against imperialism. Like Ukraine, the film concludes, the delicate but resilient sculptures may break easily — but are very hard to destroy. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonSep 25, 2025
It’s difficult to describe the astonishing beauty of “Porcelain War” without trivializing everything and everyone involved. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleNov 28, 2024
A sublime and stirring documentary. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithFeb 7, 2024
A combination of whimsy and devastation. Read full review
88
Washington PostTy BurrFeb 6, 2025
Porcelain War is a testament to how life’s beauty — all the world’s fertility an artist is trained to see — endures among privation and death. Read full review
85
Film ThreatBobby LePireFeb 7, 2024
Porcelain War is an engaging, timely look at art, war, homeland pride, and the resilience of the human spirit. While it is not subtle, it is impactful and never dull. Read full review
85
TheWrapJan 20, 2024
The intensity with which Porcelain War presents its horrors will knock you down. Read full review
83
Original-CinLiz BraunDec 6, 2024
Porcelain War is sometimes heavy-handed in spelling out its own higher meaning, but it is a rare look at the reality of war and the ordinary people compelled to defend their freedom and their way of life. Read full review
83
The Film StageDan MeccaJan 26, 2024
That Porcelain War emerges as a taut, effective war documentary that also features compelling animated sequences within the beautiful artwork of its lead subjects makes it a stand-out piece of filmmaking. Its existence proves its own point: even in war, there must be life. Art sustains us and helps us survive. Read full review
80
ColliderJason GorberFeb 19, 2025
The very act of filmmaking itself helps Porcelain War battle against those that wish to erase this delicate yet resilient culture. Read full review
80
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Johanna SchnellerDec 6, 2024
This film doesn’t flinch from violence, but it finds hope in a people’s patient refusal to surrender who they are. Read full review
80
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganJan 26, 2024
Cinematic essays take many forms: few are as fragile and contemplative as Porcelain War. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerJan 23, 2025
It’s that rare film that truly tackles how people live within a bloody conflict. Read full review
73
Paste MagazineJacob OllerJan 22, 2024
Porcelain War‘s questions around how we cope, and what’s worth fighting for, are as vital as ever with the world still full of ignored pandemics, government-sponsored genocide and ongoing invasions. Read full review
67
The PlaylistBrian FarvourJan 26, 2024
Porcelain War tries its best to turn attention toward a trio of artists as they attempt to find some equilibrium between the art they love and the battle at hand. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiJan 3, 2025
Although some of the footage seen in “Porcelain War” is grim and hard to watch, the film is ultimately a celebration of the resiliency of the artistic spirit, even in the most horrifying of circumstances. Read full review
60
VarietyGuy LodgeJan 27, 2025
Porcelain War thrives on contrast, much of it poignant. Read full review
60
The GuardianPhil HoadDec 3, 2024
A sombre, steadfast argument for art’s life-giving properties. Read full review
60
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldNov 21, 2024
Impressively, nearly everything was shot by the documentary’s subjects. Yet although their double duty is an awful fact of life in Ukraine, the film lurches between its varying components and tones. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergJan 29, 2024
There’s a great deal of beauty in Porcelain War and there’s a potent artistry behind it, but I’ve never watched a documentary with so many running visual metaphors and so little faith that the audience will be able to grasp them. It’s a bit stunning and a bit insulting all at once. Read full review
50
IndieWireMarya E. GatesJan 26, 2024
The directors never quite find the right symmetry between scenes of life and art with those that uncritically glorify violence. Read full review
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