The Little Sister
Strand Releasing | Release Date: June 5, 2026 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesAlissa WilkinsonJun 6, 2026
There is a tender exuberance to “The Little Sister,” which renders Fatima’s development from an uncertain, sullen high school student into a more confident young woman as just one step on a journey. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterJon FroschMay 20, 2025
Vibrantly felt yet impressively controlled — and blessed with a stone-cold stunner of a central performance — The Little Sister is indeed an instant classic of the genre, as moving in its humanism as it is sexy. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesTim GriersonJun 12, 2026
Despite the character’s rocky path to sexual awakening, Herzi navigates toward a hopeful conclusion that doesn’t peddle phony uplift. Read full review
80
The New YorkerRichard BrodyJun 5, 2026
As a genre, “The Little Sister” is a psychological thriller, even a film noir: a tale of a double life, which Herzi constructs with a watchmaker’s precision and an analytical clarity that distinguishes Melliti’s starring performance all the more. Read full review
80
Time OutDave CalhounMay 20, 2025
As a storyteller, writer-director Hafsia Herzi is not coy, but she’s careful, allowing intimacy to emerge with the same tentativeness as it does for Fatima. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comRobert DanielsJun 5, 2026
Herzi takes great interest in the moments when Fatima’s mask slips slightly, allowing these instances to reach for something so real that it delivers a palpable fright to her protagonist’s core. Read full review
75
The Film StageJared MobarakJun 3, 2026
The emotions run the gamut, and Melliti imbues an authenticity to each one as her world spins between the dueling halves of her character’s identity. Read full review
70
VarietyGuy LodgeMay 20, 2025
Sensitive and empathetic but a little timid in storytelling and style, The Little Sister rests considerably on its lead performance by first-time actor Nadia Melliti. Read full review
67
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodMay 20, 2025
Herzi’s directing skills have showcased her talented cast. Her slick aesthetic has given the tale a needed polish. But will the rest of it stay with you? For someone, somewhere, in a similar situation, if they can find a way to see it, it no doubt will. Read full review
67
IndieWireRyan LattanzioMay 20, 2025
Together, Melliti and Herzi find a rare alchemy between actor and director telling someone else’s story, but one that may turn out to be a bit of each other’s own. Read full review
65
TheWrapChase HutchinsonMay 20, 2025
Serving as the anchor to a drama that otherwise frequently holds you at a distance, Melliti gives an understated yet riveting performance as a young woman finding her way in the world. The film lives and dies on her shoulders, making it all the more exciting to see her carry it with such nuance. Read full review
60
Screen DailyWendy IdeMay 20, 2025
While vivid in its depiction of Paris’s vibrant lesbian culture, seems curiously slight and modest in its emotional impact given the seismic internal battle the central character wrestles with. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 20, 2025
It’s an elegant directorial performance from Herzi. Read full review
50
IONCINEMA.comNicholas BellJun 5, 2026
A silver lining is how Herzi brings a tangibility to her heroine’s experiences, brought to blazing life by compelling newcomer Nadia Melliti. But there remains a core absence in the film’s trajectory, which utilizes familiar beats (set to a Kim Ki-duk reminiscent season cycle, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring) and cliched elements softening the blows, criticisms, and self-reflection penned by Daas. Read full review
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