San Francisco Chronicle

As finely crafted as a great work of literature.

San Francisco Chronicle by David Wiegand

As finely crafted as a great work of literature.

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

The shots are beautifully composed, the editing paces the process of self-discovery, the dialogue is spare and heartfelt, the performances are deeply human -- especially by Efron.

Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan

The word "hermaphrodite" is never actually uttered, for instance, and the whole topic is revealed obliquely, mostly through the puzzled eyes of Alvaro. Most impressively, a tale that could have been handled with condescending simplicity becomes a testament to the flawed but noble humanity of both parents and children.

New York Post by V.A. Musetto

Ines Efron and Martin Piroyanski give strong performances as Alex and Alvaro, respectively. Debuting director Lucia Puenzo, who co-scripted, tackles a dicey subject with sensitivity and taste.

TV Guide Magazine by Ken Fox

Efron's remarkable performance as a wild child who seems to truly exist somewhere betwixt and between is riveting.

Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips

The acting is uniformly strong, the visual approach self-effacingly honest.

The New York Times by Stephen Holden

If XXY is imagistically too programmatic (a scene of carrots being sliced is typical of its Freudian heavy-handedness) and devoid of humor, it never seems pruriently exploitative. It sustains an unsettling mood of ambiguity that lingers long after the final credits.

Variety by Jonathan Holland

Picture has more in common with standard child-parent conflict dramas than it would probably care to admit, but its sensitive treatment of an equally sensitive theme elevates it into something memorable.

The Hollywood Reporter by Richard James Havis

The story of a young hermaphrodite who's not sure if she's emotionally a boy or a girl manages to be both raw-edged and moving.

Washington Post by Michael O'Sullivan

XXY is, in the best possible sense of the word, an awkward film.

Boston Globe by Wesley Morris

The grown-ups in Lucia Puenzo's XXY are a glum lot.

Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman

It's set at a beach house, but we see only gray skies, and though Efron has a wary and cutting intelligence (it matches that of the fine actor Ricardo Darin, who plays her father), the effect is tepid and damp.

Village Voice

It takes a controlling hand to chisel something more contoured than monotony out of this dense angst, and director Lucía Puenzo doesn't have it, though Inés Efron, as Alex, gives a committed centerpiece performance with a nice, slightly lupine grin.