Unclenching the Fists
MUBI | Release Date (Streaming): May 26, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The GuardianPhil HoadMay 22, 2023
Aguzarova is quietly phenomenal, never more so than in the sex scene where, holding her curled-up hands away from Tamik’s body, she manages to be coy, conflicted, detached, expectant and amused all at once. Read full review
80
VarietyGuy LodgeSep 5, 2021
A frenzied vocal tone and wild, untethered physicality connects all the performances, with every character seemingly eager to burst out of their own body, and by extension, the life in which it’s stranded. Read full review
79
TheWrapSteve PondJul 17, 2021
The film is a dark slice of neorealism with a palpable sense of claustrophobia that Ada feels in her life and in her family. But her relationship to what is essentially imprisonment is odd and complex; she seems desperate to get out and exercise some control of her life, but there are strange cracks in that desperation, signs that she’s terrified of what even a modicum of freedom and control might bring. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineDiego SemereneSep 12, 2021
Unclenching the Fists is a tale of how the desolation of a nation inhabits and engraves a woman’s body. Read full review
75
The PlaylistRobert DanielsSep 12, 2021
Unclenching the Fists isn’t perfect. Rather it’s a daring and complex leap by Kovalenko. Read full review
75
IndieWireRyan LattanzioSep 5, 2021
Unclenching the Fists turns out to be hardly the neorealist dip into misery that some of the film’s more disconnected camerawork from DP Pavel Fomintsev promises. Read full review
67
The Film StageRory O'ConnorSep 30, 2021
The experience is nothing if not grueling, and Fists‘ willingness to heap misery on characters who are already truly down ultimately leaves a callous taste in the mouth. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayMay 26, 2023
This is a different kind of prison escape picture, focusing on the stifling confines of a life devoid of possibility. Read full review
60
The New York TimesBeatrice LoayzaMay 25, 2023
Ada’s psychological tumult is captured in intimate close-ups and fluttering camera movements, while the absence of a score complements the film’s uneasy mood of pent-up rage and stifling despair. Read full review
50
Screen DailyDemetrios MatheouJul 17, 2021
Overall, the film’s treatment of a sensitive scenario lacks subtlety, making for a tough and taxing viewing experience. Read full review
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