Island of the Hungry Ghosts

Screen Daily by

The film is as much an exploration of often contradictory human attitudes towards migration as it is towards the experiences of the refugees themselves.

The Playlist by Chris Barsanti

By refusing to illuminate the detainees’ stories or the humanitarian crisis—not widely reported enough for Brady to take the audience’s familiarity as a given—they are trapped inside, The Island of Hungry Ghosts relegates itself to being little more than a pretty but wispy curiosity that fails its beleaguered subjects.

Slant Magazine by Ed Gonzalez

The film is a haunting portrait of the island as a purgatorial realm between the poles of isolation and liberation.

The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck

Nonetheless, Island of the Hungry Ghosts casts an undeniably hypnotic spell. The documentary also serves as an important reminder that the United States is far from alone in mistreating its would-be immigrants.

The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis

Ethereal, intensely moving.

Los Angeles Times by Kimber Myers

It’s a humane, compassionate film, simultaneously full of beauty, sadness and struggle.