The Telegraph by Robbie Collin

Braga has been presented with an uncommonly dense and multi-faceted role here, and she plunges into it with a kind of glossy-maned, leonine majesty, investing the character with a hard-won dignity that often has you stifling a cheer, but also exploring her flaws in gripping fashion.

Los Angeles Times by Justin Chang

Some might well accuse this stubbornly singular woman of living in the past, but to watch Aquarius is to see her surrendering again and again to the bliss of the present moment — never more so than in a final scene of thrilling, annihilating ferocity.

Village Voice by Michael Nordine

Brazil might not want you to know it, but Aquarius is something special.

The New York Times by A.O. Scott

Aquarius is a marvelous and surprising act of portraiture, a long, unhurried encounter with a single, complicated person. And that is enough to make it a captivating film, an experience well worth seeking out. But there is also, as I’ve suggested, more going on than the everyday experiences of a modern matriarch.

Total Film by Simon Kinnear

A timely, inspiring parable of protest, directed with sinewy style and driven by Braga’s rock-solid lead performance.

The Film Stage by Giovanni Marchini Camia

Clara is the film’s heroine and Braga deserves high praise for her phenomenal performance. Stately, headstrong, and all-too-recognizably human, she’s a delight to watch from start to finish, keeping the viewer mesmerized by her charisma and intensely rooting for her victory.

Variety by Jay Weissberg

Aquarius is a character study as well as a shrewd meditation on the needless transience of place and the way physical space elides with our identity.

Slant Magazine by Chuck Bowen

Aquarius is a critique of a daydream that has the imaginative daring to live that very dream anyway.

RogerEbert.com by Christy Lemire

Braga has created a formidable force of nature in Clara.

Boston Globe by Ty Burr

Braga has hardly stopped working since, on either continent, but Aquarius is a comeback, a homecoming, and a character film in which both the heroine and the actress playing her are characters of the first order.

The Playlist by Jessica Kiang

Braga is simply riveting in this gift of a role.

IndieWire by Eric Kohn

Though Braga's performance sometimes outshines Mendonça's leisurely two-and-a-half hour narrative, in its better moments the two work in marvelous harmony.

Screen Daily by Wendy Ide

Favouring an unhurried pace, Filho takes the time to let us get to know Clara. And while the moments of drama are small and intimate, the effect is engrossing.

TheWrap by Ben Croll

Its languid pace befits the Recife setting, and Filho sets many scenes on long walks down the coast or just after a particularly satisfying mid-day nap. His world is filled with music, dance and wine, and if the film takes a some time to get where it’s going, the beachfront setting remains a pleasant place to stay. Call it an escapist tale about stubbornly staying put.

Time Out London by Geoff Andrew

The virtue of Aquarius – the title, incidentally, alludes to the name of the block Clara lives in – is that it never feels the need to sermonise: its ethical, political and psychological insights are carefully contained within a consistently compelling narrative that feels fluid, relevant and true.

Screen International by Wendy Ide

Favouring an unhurried pace, Filho takes the time to let us get to know Clara. And while the moments of drama are small and intimate, the effect is engrossing.

The Hollywood Reporter by Jordan Mintzer

This endearing old-age drama works best as an earnest and colorful character study, even if it doesn't really break any new cinematic ground.

The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw

It’s a richly detailed character study, immersing the audience in the life and mind of its imperious main character.