The Woman Who Left
Kino Lorber | Release Date: May 19, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
83
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The New York TimesA.O. ScottMay 18, 2017
The film makes uncompromising demands on your attention and your empathy. But it is also illuminating and, in its downbeat, deliberate way, exhilarating. Read full review
100
The Hollywood ReporterClarence TsuiSep 17, 2016
The Woman Who Left is an immensely immersive and engaging tale about a wronged individual's grueling struggle between reconciliation and revenge. Read full review
90
TheWrapDave WhiteMay 19, 2017
Diaz has made an epic-length small film about the powerless, one full of moral urgency that he chooses to elongate and slow down to a crawl. It’s a quiet consideration of grief and mercy, of control taken and freely given up. Read full review
83
The Film StageEthan VestbySep 17, 2016
Highlighted by the black-and-white, The Woman Who Left is as nocturnal as the best noir, one of those films in which every transition from nighttime to daytime registers as a shock. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 18, 2017
It’s a film you have to feel your way into, like a ruined church or a haunted house. Read full review
80
CineVueBen NicholsonSep 17, 2016
Its specific frame of reference sees it build to a bleak and powerful conclusion, if one devoid of much hope. Read full review
80
Screen DailyJonathan RomneySep 17, 2016
At once over-repetitive and less surprisingly digressive than some of his other films, The Woman Who Left may not represent Diaz at his absolute peak, but it’s a powerful, thoughtful melodrama that pulls you into its world and delivers a number of irresistible emotional coups. Read full review
80
VarietyGuy LodgeSep 17, 2016
This occasionally transcendent opus finds Diaz’s formal powers — not least his own incisive monochrome lensing — at full strength. Read full review
75
Paste MagazineKenji FujishimaMay 25, 2017
The characters here are so vividly drawn and performed, and the contemplative mood so remarkably sustained, that the film casts a genuinely suspenseful and mesmerizing spell over the span of its nearly four hours. Don’t be daunted by its length: at its best, Diaz’s film has the richness of a great, wide-ranging, deeply immersive novel. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comScout TafoyaMay 19, 2017
The Woman Who Left isn't as exhausting as other recent works by Diaz, like “Century of Birthing” or “Norte, The End of History,” and its grace notes are more sublime. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyMay 17, 2017
The Woman Who Left may not be a movie for everyone, but if you allow yourself to settle into its leisurely tempo and marinate in its heroine’s journey, it can be a richly rewarding experience. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyMay 17, 2017
The film boasts one of Diaz’s most dramatically conventional, involving, and satisfying narratives. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineCarson LundMay 15, 2017
It suffers by resembling arty, didactic bloat when it most begs for a more sophisticated dramatic touch. Read full review
More From This Movie

83 Critic Reviews

6.5 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL