The New York Times by Stephen Holden

This calm, hardheaded film never sacrifices its toughness for a swooning, misty-eyed moment of hope.

The A.V. Club by Noel Murray

There’s a specificity to Mediterranea that at times makes it feel like an actual documentary.

IndieWire by Eric Kohn

It renders a global crisis in strikingly intimate terms.

Village Voice by Nick Schager

The film proves a piercing character study whose narrow view frustrates complete empathy.

The Hollywood Reporter by David Rooney

The unselfconscious naturalness of the nonprofessional cast yields no shortage of sharply observed moments.

The Guardian by Jordan Hoffman

If a movie as rich and understanding as Mediterranea suddenly appeared every time we read about a difficult issue in the paper, maybe all of the world’s problems could be solved.

Slant Magazine by Clayton Dillard

The film is unwaveringly attentive to problematizing the dividing line between predator and prey.

The Playlist by Jessica Kiang

For the most part an assured film, confident in both the drama and the truth of the scenario it observes, this ground-level view of the immigrant experience feels both pinpoint specific and all too representative of the obstacles and attitudes that face so many illegals, in so many parts of the world.

RogerEbert.com by Godfrey Cheshire

Where “Black Lives Matter” has become a rallying cry in the U.S., Jonas Carpignano’s sharply crafted Mediterranea voices a counterpart for African immigrants in southern Italy: “Stop shooting blacks!”

Variety by Peter Debruge

While many of their feelings are universally relatable, it can be hard work trying to follow what these two characters are thinking at any given moment, in part because of Carpignano’s grainy, handheld style.

Los Angeles Times by Martin Tsai

Writer-director Jonas Carpignano glosses over much of the sociopolitical context in his depictions of the chain of events.