Set Me Free
Merchant Ivory Productions | Release Date: April 14, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
0
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Aside from the effectiveness of Set Me Free as a coming-of-age story, it's also one of the most poetic avowals of love for movies that I've seen in years. Read full review
90
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Nicely acted and inflected, this is a very fresh piece of work. Read full review
90
The New York TimesLawrence Van Gelder
Propelled by a captivating, wrenching performance by Karine Vanasse as Hanna, a 13-year-old girl adrift in a sea of powerful emotions in Montreal in 1963. Read full review
90
Village VoiceJessica Winter
Karine Vanasse, as the protagonist Hanna, is perfectly cast because she has the body of a woman and the sweet, sexless face of a child. Read full review
90
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
Maintains a reflective, bittersweet tone that's almost tactile. Read full review
87
Mr. ShowbizRichard T. Jameson
Blessedly free of candy-box prettiness, cloying gentility, and anything else that might dishonor its deeply felt, sensitively observed memoir. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
A challenging concept conveyed here most impressively onscreen. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
Exquisite and fragile in visuals and tone, yet has some difficulty with a choppy narrative. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
A coming-of-age movie that stands apart from the rest. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerDesmond Ryan
Stands apart from the trite conventions of most coming-of-age drama chiefly through the originality of Pool's approach and the honesty and conviction of Karine Vanasse's portrait of Hanna. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Shows us a filmmaker, unafraid of her emotions, unafraid to mine her past, someone clear-eyed, non-egoistic, full of life and warmth. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Tells its story so effectively through pictures it's barely necessary to read the subtitles. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie gets a little confused toward the end, I think, as its writer and director, Lea Pool, tries to settle things that could have been left unresolved. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Spare and quietly heartbreaking, this French-Canadian feature uses a fine brush to depict a teenage girl in the midst of a quiet crisis. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldCary Darling
Sports a cool, early '60s soundtrack of hit-radio pop. But, make no mistake, this is no "American Graffiti." Read full review
38
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
A slice of life that adds up to exactly the sum of its parts, no more, no less. Read full review
More From This Movie

80 Critic Reviews

7.4 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL