This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection
Dekanalog | Release Date: April 2, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
91
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriApr 7, 2021
I recommend seeing it more than once; luckily, it’s so gorgeous and spellbinding that it invites repeat viewings. Read full review
100
RogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarApr 2, 2021
This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection is a searing epitaph for Mary Twala, a veteran performer at the peak of her absorbing presence. And it is a radical international breakthrough for Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, a filmmaker who uses potential philosophical expressions to ask tough questions about the ravaged history of Africa. Read full review
94
Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpApr 2, 2021
Yes, This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection is constitutionally sad. It’s also angry, restrained, abandoned, exuberant when cracks open between its downward facing emotions, and, above all else, impeccably constructed. Read full review
91
The PlaylistAndrew BundyMar 30, 2021
This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection, is that rare gem of a film that falls into an unclassifiable category. Read full review
90
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldApr 1, 2021
Mhlongo (who also appears in Beyoncé’s “Black Is King”) carries the movie on her shoulders with an authoritative presence. Read full review
90
Screen DailyAllan HunterMar 30, 2021
This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection offers a vivid, beautifully crafted reflection on identity, community and the tension between respecting age-old traditions and accepting the seemingly unstoppable march of progress. Read full review
90
VarietyGuy LodgeMar 30, 2021
A haunted, unsentimental paean to land and its physical containment of community and ancestry — all endangered by nominally progressive infrastructure — this arresting third feature from Lesotho-born writer-director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese is as classical in theme as it is adventurous in presentation. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleJenny NulfApr 8, 2021
This Is Not a Burial, it’s a Resurrection is arthouse cinema at its best, a lyrical eulogy from a confident auteur whose poetic touch is meticulous and grand. Read full review
88
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenDec 14, 2021
Mosese’s camera is dispassionate, but deeply attentive. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleApr 1, 2021
Poetic and painterly, personal and political. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubLawrence GarciaMar 30, 2021
There are longueurs where Mosese’s approach shows its limits, as the film’s rhythms go from stately to stultifying. More often, though, Mosese manages to fuse his film’s stylistic tensions with Mantoa’s struggles of expression, her efforts to carry on in both word and deed. Read full review
More From This Movie

91 Critic Reviews

6.4 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 71 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