The Pirogue
ArtMattan Productions | Release Date: January 23, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
1
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJan 24, 2013
Every moment feels human and true, from the naive optimism of the trip's sendoff to its unsparingly realistic conclusion, which trades reckless hope for quiet honor. Read full review
90
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJan 22, 2013
The most powerful thing about The Pirogue is the way it deals with emotionally charged events matter-of-factly, rather than melodramatically. The story Mr. Touré has chosen to tell is both painfully specific - about these individuals, in this boat - and immeasurably vast, since the experience it depicts is shared by millions of people around the world. And yet somehow he gets the scale just right. Read full review
75
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeJan 24, 2013
In the poignant, symmetrical end, Touré leaves the idea that the real yearning of these people is for a fair shake in their own home. Read full review
70
NPRMark JenkinsJan 24, 2013
The Pirogue spends only about an hour on open water, but that's enough to convey the risks that make the trip foolish, and the desperation that makes it inevitable. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAndrew SchenkerJan 23, 2013
For all the tense interpersonal conflicts and the inevitable, if thrilling, stormy-seas set piece, what proves most striking are the exactly rendered little moments. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonJan 19, 2013
This universal story could easily serve as a dramatically gripping primer on topical immigration issues to schoolchildren across the globe, from Arizona to Afghanistan. 　 Read full review
70
VarietyJay WeissbergJan 19, 2013
Toure crafts a handsome work that makes up in skill and honesty what it lacks in originality. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichJan 22, 2013
There's enough filmmaking talent evident throughout that you wish the journey were more satisfying overall. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineCalum MarshJan 19, 2013
Moussa Touré's worldview, like Ousmane Sembene's, is characterized by the feeling that, at the end of the day, some degree of loss or defeat is inevitable. Read full review
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