Young Ahmed
Kino Lorber | Release Date: February 21, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
SlashfilmMarshall ShafferFeb 20, 2020
The brothers tend not to dally much with their narratives, but even adjusting for their typical brevity, Young Ahmed feels like a cursory examination of the social issues they raise. It lacks the incisiveness of their other glances directly into the heart of Belgian society. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottFeb 20, 2020
Young Ahmed is suspenseful and economical, with a clear sense of what’s at stake, but something crucial — perhaps a deeper insight into the character or the contradictions that ensnare him — is missing. Read full review
60
The TelegraphRobbie CollinMay 21, 2019
Fanaticism – even in one so young and theoretically still savable – is a uniquely bad match for the brothers’ methods. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 21, 2019
It is an involving story, with a strong lead performance. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKevin CrustMar 5, 2020
The film never really delves beyond the level of observation and the simplistic explanations it does offer are not very satisfying; cloaking possible mental illness in religious zealotry simply clouds whatever the directors meant to convey. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChuck BowenSep 16, 2019
The Dardennes maintain a distance from Ahmed as a way of celebrating their refusal to reduce him to any easy psychological bullet points. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinMay 21, 2019
In the end, Young Ahmed feels like little more than a pained shrug, elegantly made, yes, but vaporous and virtue-signaling an empathy that's more gestural than heartfelt. Read full review
42
The Film StageKyle PletcherFeb 20, 2020
All in all, Young Ahmed is not without merit. It’s an admirable attempt at portraying an immigrant experience relatively unfamiliar to the Belgian filmmaking pair, expertly directed with a number of noteworthy performances from its largely non-professional cast. Still, there’s the failure to provide nuance to a story and subject matter that practically necessitates it by nature of the intended tone. Read full review
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