The Retrieval
Variance Films | Release Date: April 2, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
VarietyJoe LeydonMar 28, 2014
Equal parts suspenseful road movie, persuasively detailed period drama and emotionally resonant coming-of-age story, The Retrieval is an outstanding example of regional indie filmmaking accomplished with limited resources and an abundance of skill. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyMay 15, 2014
The Retrieval comes at you like a haunting slip of a memory, one that writer-director Chris Eska retrieves from a mostly forgotten era in unforgettable ways. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzApr 24, 2014
It is indeed a beautiful film, but with each horizon tinged with sadness. Read full review
80
Time OutAndrew FrisicanoApr 1, 2014
Along the way, director Chris Eska provides ample space for his principals to breathe, wisely homing in on the uneasy gaze of the guidance-starved Will, whose struggle will resonate with anyone charged with an unenviable task. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweMar 28, 2014
Leveraging limited resources to impressive effect, writer-director Chris Eska’s empathetic scripting and well-tuned casting reliably guide The Retrieval’s memorable trajectory. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenApr 30, 2014
Although Eska’s story is fairly simple (and created prior to "12 Years a Slave"" and "Django Unchained," which made slavery-era films part of our contemporary dialogue), it’s an emotionally rich tale. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireApr 3, 2014
More than any film in recent memory, The Retrieval made this reviewer yearn for the subtle softness and subliminal flicker of celluloid, as opposed to digital's sometimes overbearing brightness and clarity. Read full review
75
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeApr 2, 2014
The film’s reckoning, when it comes, is fully as heartbreaking as it should be. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyApr 1, 2014
Despite its meager budget, The Retrieval is characterized by its authenticity. The dialogue and attitudes are persuasive in creating both a consistent psychology and a sense of the historical past, without ever lapsing into a flowery 19th century-ness. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisApr 1, 2014
Mr. Eska’s choices are thoughtful if sometimes studied: the movie is well cast with solid performers, and if the handsome digital images look overly sharp, as if outlined in razor, he consistently makes the most of his limited resources. Read full review
70
The DissolveDavid EhrlichApr 1, 2014
While The Retrieval’s sense of place may ultimately be stronger than its sense of purpose, it works as the story of a young boy realizing his agency, and it galvanizes as the story of an independent filmmaker realizing another portion of his medium’s infinite potential. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineClayton DillardMar 28, 2014
Less old-fashioned than demure and passé, evoking the visual style and rhythms of a 1990s made-for-TV movie rather than a daring, revisionist independent feature. Read full review
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