XXY
Film Movement | Release Date: May 2, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
2
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleDavid Wiegand
As finely crafted as a great work of literature. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The shots are beautifully composed, the editing paces the process of self-discovery, the dialogue is spare and heartfelt, the performances are deeply human -- especially by Efron. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
The word "hermaphrodite" is never actually uttered, for instance, and the whole topic is revealed obliquely, mostly through the puzzled eyes of Alvaro. Most impressively, a tale that could have been handled with condescending simplicity becomes a testament to the flawed but noble humanity of both parents and children. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Efron's remarkable performance as a wild child who seems to truly exist somewhere betwixt and between is riveting. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Ines Efron and Martin Piroyanski give strong performances as Alex and Alvaro, respectively. Debuting director Lucia Puenzo, who co-scripted, tackles a dicey subject with sensitivity and taste. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The acting is uniformly strong, the visual approach self-effacingly honest. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterRichard James Havis
The story of a young hermaphrodite who's not sure if she's emotionally a boy or a girl manages to be both raw-edged and moving. Read full review
70
VarietyJonathan Holland
Picture has more in common with standard child-parent conflict dramas than it would probably care to admit, but its sensitive treatment of an equally sensitive theme elevates it into something memorable. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
If XXY is imagistically too programmatic (a scene of carrots being sliced is typical of its Freudian heavy-handedness) and devoid of humor, it never seems pruriently exploitative. It sustains an unsettling mood of ambiguity that lingers long after the final credits. Read full review
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
XXY is, in the best possible sense of the word, an awkward film. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Moody and thoughtful. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The grown-ups in Lucia Puenzo's XXY are a glum lot. Read full review
50
Village VoiceNick Pinkerton
It takes a controlling hand to chisel something more contoured than monotony out of this dense angst, and director Lucía Puenzo doesn't have it, though Inés Efron, as Alex, gives a committed centerpiece performance with a nice, slightly lupine grin. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
It's set at a beach house, but we see only gray skies, and though Efron has a wary and cutting intelligence (it matches that of the fine actor Ricardo Darin, who plays her father), the effect is tepid and damp. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
The genitally ambiguous as well as transsexuals and gay people deserve more than XXY's good intentions. Read full review
More From This Movie

67 Critic Reviews

7.4 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL