The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Netflix | Release Date: October 6, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
VarietyNick SchagerApr 28, 2017
Driven by both empathy and a passion for justice, “How to Survive a Plague” director David France’s stellar documentary charts an investigation into the still-unsolved death of trans icon Marsha P. Johnson, along the way illuminating the persistent discrimination that exists today, and the bonds of community designed to counter it. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyOct 6, 2017
Appears at first to take a more macro perspective on gay rights. But it tells a big story indeed. Read full review
85
TheWrapClaudia PuigOct 6, 2017
The film is vital for both its history and its currency. Above all, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson works powerfully as a rallying cry for tolerance, love and understanding. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnApr 28, 2017
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson is particularly suspenseful for the way it recollects the past through the prism of a murder mystery, brilliantly fusing an archival history with the elements of a detective story. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleOct 5, 2017
While Cruz wins us over with her emotionally charged amateur sleuthing, the weight of a constant struggle to not just gain acceptance, but survive fighting for it, gives France’s documentary a stirring poignancy. Read full review
80
Screen DailyTim GriersonApr 28, 2017
Pointedly recounting the history of the LGBT movement in New York, director David France shines a light on how, even within that community, transgender people have been treated like second-class citizens. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayOct 4, 2017
Still, even if The Death And Life Of Marsha P. Johnson doesn’t wholly deliver on its premise, France does a remarkable job of finding the continuity between New York in the ’70s, ’90s, and now. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinOct 9, 2017
I hope the film inspires a new generation of amateur sleuths. Maybe — thanks to movies like The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson — a wish-fulfilling fictional scenario will come to pass in the real world, and the injustices of history will stand plainly in the living present. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyApr 28, 2017
While the sense of closure that the film seeks to provide perhaps inevitably remains elusive, it covers another vital chapter in queer history, sadly still relevant in the ongoing frequency of violence against trans women. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineKeith Watson
It brims with empathy and righteous outrage at the treatment of trans people, but with only a vague organizational structure, it ultimately feels scattershot, passionately covering a number of important issues without quite unifying them into a coherent whole. Read full review
60
The New York TimesKen JaworowskiOct 5, 2017
There are several strong stories in The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, a documentary that, in trying to tell them all, takes on too much. Read full review
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