Sugarcane
National Geographic Documentary Films | Release Date: August 9, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
90
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
RogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonAug 9, 2024
Sugarcane is soul-shaking. It’s profoundly evocative, with spoken memories and moments of inability to muster the words gut-punching with equal measure. Read full review
100
Original-CinLiz BraunAug 8, 2024
One hopes Sugarcane will be shown in schools all over North America. Read full review
100
VarietyJoe LeydonFeb 2, 2024
Sugarcane” is the product of humane and insightful filmmakers who are determined to never let anyone forget, and put their moral outrage to exemplary good use. Still, you’re left with the forlorn suspicion that their best efforts to find justice for the living and the dead, however commendable, are part of a campaign that might be endless. Read full review
100
The PlaylistBrian FarvourJan 27, 2024
This is far more than just a film. Read full review
91
IndieWireEsther ZuckermanJan 27, 2024
Sugarcane doesn’t force conclusions that aren’t there. Instead, it lets the empty parts of the saga linger so the ghosts of what transpired feel present. It means, ultimately, that ‘Sugarcane’ is something more meaningful than a mere history lesson. It’s a portrait of what remains when injustice occurs. Read full review
90
The Irish TimesTara BradySep 19, 2024
The damaged, rising community depicted in Sugarland are in no mood for apologies. They want accountability. Read full review
90
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerAug 19, 2024
The film is an indictment of a cultural tragedy; a testament to the steadfastness, against all odds, of the Indigenous community; and a plea for healing. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleAug 19, 2024
Even the landscape speaks to an emotional duality. It captivates with its natural beauty and sweep at the same time it tragically underscores the remoteness of places like St. Joseph’s, where evil could keep secret. Read full review
90
The New York TimesAlissa WilkinsonAug 9, 2024
For one, it’s immersive and incredibly beautiful, shot like poetry and scored by Mali Obomsawin. The result is both stunning and sobering. Read full review
90
ColliderShaina WeatherheadAug 9, 2024
Beautifully shot and powerfully told, Sugarcane is a moving tale of resilience in the face of overwhelming injustice. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeJan 27, 2024
Sugarcane’s sensitivity to the ongoing pain of its subjects is one of the film’s principal achievements. NoiseCat and Kassie offer an affecting portrait of a community that endures in spite of colonial genocide. Read full review
90
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganJan 27, 2024
This is no superficial recounting of yet another injustice against native people. Read full review
83
The Film StageDan MeccaJan 27, 2024
As the survivors of these schools grow older and pass on, this film should remind future generations on whose hands the blood rests. More must be done, but it’s a start. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeOct 17, 2024
The sickening facts of the case are presented with a respectful restraint but it’s impossible to watch this and not feel a cold, hard rage on behalf of the victims. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawSep 18, 2024
[A] deeply disquieting and indeed enraging documentary. Read full review
79
Paste MagazineJacob OllerJan 27, 2024
The documentary gives faces, names and histories to those affected by the residential schools—and looks, bracingly, towards a future where healing is possible. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonAug 14, 2024
Co-directed by Emily Kassie, “Sugarcane” – which won a directing prize at the Sundance Film Festival in January and won the Golden Gate documentary award at the San Francisco International Film Festival in April – contains stunning natural beauty and painful revelations. Read full review
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