70
The New York Times by A.O. Scott
It is frequently gripping and sincere in its intentions, but never quite as revelatory, or as devastating, as it should be.
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What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
90
Aladag's point, I think, is that no matter how righteous we may feel about this kind of zero-sum cultural collision, for the human beings involved it often results in unbearable tragedy.
60
New York Daily News by Joe Neumaier
Kekilli sensitively portrays Umay's conflicted despair, and the relationship with her son is beautifully rendered.
75
St. Louis Post-Dispatch by Joe Williams
This melodrama about spousal abuse and honor killings might be too grim to bear, but Kekilli keeps it centered.
40
The film has the look of unflinching truth, yet it too often feels like a calculated ploy to stoke viewers' liberal-guilty consciences.
70
Village Voice by Nick Pinkerton
Kekilli, more than an unofficial spokeswoman for rebellious Euro-Muslim youth, sells a simple and deterministic story through her sheer presence and precise reaction shots.
83
When We Leave is a film without villains. Instead, it features a set of circumstances that inevitably and needlessly spin out of control.
63
As powerful as the movie is, it stays on the outside of a culture looking in.
50
Kekilli delivers a perfectly tuned performance. Too bad the script is often clunky and melodramatic, as the first-time director, Vienna-born Feo Aladag, tries to manipulate viewers' emotions.
50
San Francisco Chronicle by Walter Addiego
A doleful melodrama. There are some intense, moving sequences, but too much emotional badgering and a general shortage of finesse.