Stray
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: March 5, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
83
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Original-CinJim SlotekMar 3, 2021
A day in the life of Zeytin is, for the most part, an agreeable experience that doubles as a dog’s-eye-view of humans. Read full review
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMar 4, 2021
The filmmaker's eyes may rarely leave the dogs, but what she’s really looking at is us. Read full review
90
VarietyTomris LafflyJan 12, 2021
Throughout the mostly wordless “Stray,” we wonder with compassion and considerable self-critique whom the society uplifts and supports vs. whom it chooses to disregard and deem invisible. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenJan 12, 2021
Through a finely calibrated ebb and flow of insight and emotion, Lo offers a fresh perspective on life in the shadows — the freedom as well as the neglect — building toward an end-credits coda, a song from the heart, that's not to be missed. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisMar 4, 2021
From its opening tracking shot of four furry legs sauntering through a bed of colorful pansies as cars and trucks whoosh nearby, Stray is a documentary of unhurried pleasures. Read full review
85
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Sophy RomvarMar 3, 2021
By handing the spotlight, and even the camera, over to the bold and beautiful Zeytin without guiding the viewer too aggressively, Lo has created something worth seeking out for anyone who wants to expand their world view – and perhaps also lower it a few feet. Read full review
80
The GuardianLeslie FelperinMar 23, 2021
At last, just what world cinema really needs right now: an exquisitely made film about street dogs in Istanbul, satiating that universal desire to see distant lands, coo over beautiful, noble animals, and satisfy the audience’s need to feel guilty about the misfortune of poorer, unluckier people. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKimber MyersMar 4, 2021
Lo’s humane film helps us glimpse the lives of those who are often overlooked, whether they walk the streets of Istanbul on four legs or two. Read full review
80
Screen DailyNikki BaughanJan 12, 2021
There’s something strangely beautiful about short filmmaker Elizabeth Lo’s concise, allegorical debut feature documentary, which starts off as a fly-on-the-fur exploration of Istanbul’s stray dog epidemic and becomes a lament about the difficulties of finding somewhere to belong in an increasingly fractured, and fractious, world. Read full review
80
CineVueMatthew AndersonJan 12, 2021
Following the freewheeling day to day life of dogs living on the streets of Istanbul, the initial novelty and intrigue of this extraordinary documentary broadens further to a profound meditation on how mankind treats our so-called best friends, and one another. Read full review
76
Paste MagazineNatalia KeoganMar 5, 2021
Told through a series of metropolitan vignettes, documentary filmmaker Elizabeth Lo’s Stray deftly weaves together a sprawling narrative of human and canine vagabond life on Istanbul’s city streets. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyMar 5, 2021
Lo wants to make a point, obviously, but I came out of this picture with some questions. And I also thought of an observation made by the music critic Robert Christgau, a metaphorical point addressing a type of artistic preciousness: “If I found a cat trapped in a washing machine, I wouldn't set up a recording studio there—I'd just open the door.” Read full review
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