Siddharth

San Francisco Chronicle by

All this happens in an India that is both grim and beautiful: bustling, bureaucratic, colorful, harsh, full of cute children playing, full of downtrodden adults hustling for the next buck, full of life in general. It all feels very real. So does the ending.

Village Voice by Alan Scherstuhl

The photography fascinates even when the story flags, and the film bristles with small revelations.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Liam Lacey

Simple but engrossing.

Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan

Canadian director Richie Mehta ("Amal") based Siddharth on his own random encounter with a father searching for his missing son, and the film never feels less than utterly real in its depiction of both everyday Indian life and the hopelessness that comes so naturally in this sort of tragic situation.

The Hollywood Reporter by Neil Young

This quietly impassioned indictment of child-labor takes its time to get going but then builds steadily to a surprisingly strong finale.

Boston Globe by Peter Keough

Though at times Siddharth can resemble a well-photographed report on India’s social and economic ills, Mehta subtly employs different styles to sustain the poetry, poignancy, and drama.

Los Angeles Times by Sheri Linden

Mehta explores matters more complex and unsettling than movie-tidy, against-the-odds heroism. In Tailang's fine performance, the enormity of Mahendra's mission registers in all its devastating weight.

Washington Post by Stephanie Merry

The story itself never wavers when it comes to portraying the truth.

The New York Times by Stephen Holden

Its portrayal of impoverished, careworn people barking at one another and protecting their territory in a daily struggle is bracingly hardheaded.

Slant Magazine by Wes Greene

A well-intentioned story of an impoverished father searching for his missing child is muddled by an ambitious sociological agenda in Richie Mehta's film.