The Alabama Solution
HBO | Release Date: October 3, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
90
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
VarietyOwen GleibermanNov 14, 2025
The Alabama Solution is one of the most powerful exposés of the inhumanity of the American prison system I’ve ever seen. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleOct 3, 2025
The movie, its many strands brilliantly threaded for maximum impact, is also an argument for the necessity of independent inquiry, and for a reassessment of what a “true crime” documentary means when the lion’s share of attention goes to sensationalized, overreported tabloid tales that go down easy in streaming formats. Read full review
91
The PlaylistMarshall ShafferNov 14, 2025
By providing a voice to the voiceless, The Alabama Solution invites audiences into what they successfully argue is nothing less than a new frontier in the ongoing civil rights movement. Institutions may need more time to change, but any viewer of this film should only need two hours to be galvanized into action. Read full review
90
TheWrapRonda Racha PenriceNov 14, 2025
Challenging the foundation of a “law and order” culture is not easy, but hopefully The Alabama Solution shows that mass incarceration is not the way to build a strong nation, and that the real fight is between the haves and the have-nots, those in power against the powerless. Read full review
90
The New York TimesAlissa WilkinsonOct 3, 2025
This isn’t just about crime and punishment, but about a human rights crisis and willful blindness. Bringing several types of filmmaking, amateur and professional, together for a movie like this makes that message all the more powerful. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comZachary LeeOct 3, 2025
This is a project for and by those who have experienced inhumanity firsthand yet refuse to have their voices snuffed out by a corrupt institution. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergNov 14, 2025
The Alabama Solution is difficult to watch, and impossible to watch without escalating anger. There isn’t easy catharsis or an easy non-Alabama solution, but it’s impossible to deny that something better must be done. Read full review
80
Next Best PictureLauren LaMagnaOct 3, 2025
The Alabama Solution may not provide a definitive answer, but it sparks an undeniable demand for change, making it one of the most urgent and important documentaries of the year. Read full review
80
Screen DailyTim GriersonJan 31, 2025
Many Americans recognise the injustices within the country’s prison system, but the case has rarely been laid out as comprehensively as it is in The Alabama Solution. Read full review
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