70
Made for less than $500,000, Torn is proof that a little can go a long way. In fact, the microscale perfectly lends itself to the story's quiet revelations.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
60
Torn’s sometimes-stodgy dramatics give way to a genuinely unsettling microcosm of modern terrorism.
50
Performances and presentation are solid enough, but the pic feels a bit undernourished, particularly once it closes on a note that’s well intentioned but provides no real resolution.
70
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
Torn approaches its incendiary topical issues with intelligent modesty.
60
Los Angeles Times by Gary Goldstein
Though Torn contains its share of convincingly lived-in moments, there's a heavy-handed quality to both Jeremiah Birnbaum's direction and the script by Michael Richter that often undermines the movie's potential to truly grip and move.
70
The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis
Slowly uncovering the prejudices that calamity can unleash, Michael Richter’s screenplay lays bare the damage wrought by Sept. 11 while deftly dodging hysteria, wondering how we differentiate between innocent teenage behaviors and dangerous red flags.
75
San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle
Both women are excellent, and they, as much as the movie's whodunit elements, hold the viewer until the finish.
50
McClatchy-Tribune News Service by Roger Moore
This culture-clash/mother bonding story was never going to be “Frozen River,” but you do sense that a lot of potential was squandered in denying these mothers big moments of mourning, bigger confrontations with the fathers of their sons.
50
RogerEbert.com by Susan Wloszczyna
As a piece of filmmaking, Torn is slightly above TV-movie quality.