50
Like most good documentaries, Defamation poses more questions than it purports to answer, before arriving at the mildly reductive postulation that what's past is past.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
60
Los Angeles Times by Kevin Thomas
Even though Defamation, which is sprinkled with unexpected moments of wry humor, will be inescapably controversial, Yoav Shamir strives admirably to be evenhanded.
50
While he takes an evenhanded approach, the filmmaker appears on camera far too often and goes off point as frequently as Moore.
40
The New York Times by Neil Genzlinger
Disorganized and somewhat annoying.
91
Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman
This brave documentary takes on the topic of anti-Semitism in a relentlessly probing and original way.
60
The Hollywood Reporter by Ray Bennett
The most affecting scenes, however, involve the class of Israeli teenagers visiting Auschwitz.
60
Like Moore’s modus, Shamir’s stroll is sloppy, but his willingness to tip sacred cows is truly courageous.
75
In its sneaky, cheeky way, Defamation is a mitzvah, an act of kindness.
75
San Francisco Chronicle by Walter Addiego
Defamation tries to give all sides a full airing, but it's not hard to guess the director's own feeling. At the end, he says, "Putting too much emphasis on the past, as horrific as it has been, is holding us back."