The Law in These Parts
Cinema Guild | Release Date: November 14, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
79
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranDec 13, 2012
Directed by Ra'anan Alexandrowicz and winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, this is the second superb Israeli documentary (after "The Gatekeepers") to come to town in less than a month and deal fearlessly with an aspect of that country's legal and political system. Read full review
88
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeNov 16, 2012
The Law in These Parts more than accomplishes its goal of provoking a discussion about imposing laws on people who have no say in making them. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineSteve MacfarlaneNov 14, 2012
A film for those who, whether here or in Israel, believe the law is the beginning, and not the end, of rights discourse. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckNov 16, 2012
Ra'anan Alexandroricz's documentary uses a simple framework - a starkly photographed series of interviews with nine retired judges and lawyers instrumental in administering the often arbitrary laws - to deliver a provocative examination of the nature of justice. Read full review
80
The New York TimesRachel SaltzNov 14, 2012
By keeping its focus admirably tight, the sober and sobering Israeli documentary The Law in These Parts presents a devastating case against the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Read full review
80
VarietyRobert KoehlerNov 12, 2012
Adopting a postmodern method quite different from that of his remarkable "The Inner Tour," Ra'anan Alexandrowicz poses his questions from a legal angle, and finds these minds stumped by a system they've professionally defended. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisJan 17, 2013
This complex, fascinating documentary breaks new ground by focusing on the legal types who have administered, and justified, the occupation over the decades. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayNov 12, 2012
But while the facts cherry-picked by Alexandrowicz won't surprise anyone who's paid even the slightest attention to what's been going on in the Middle East for the last four decades, the direct inquiries into who should be classified as a "soldier" and who a "terrorist" is still bracing (and relevant to more than just the Israelis). Read full review
60
Village VoiceMichelle OrangeNov 13, 2012
Dialectical and precise to the point of exhaustion, The Law in These Parts applies a cold anger to one of the geopolitical world's most passionate discords. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid FearNov 13, 2012
Justice is blind - but there are cases where fingers start weighing down the scales. That's the j'accuse that Ra'anan Alexandrowicz's documentary puts forth regarding Israel's rule of law in its post-'67 occupied territories. Read full review
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