CineVue by Clara Bradbury-Rance

Akin’s assured directing makes this a film that doesn’t put a foot wrong.

IndieWire by Jude Dry

It’s one of the year’s best gay films.

IndieWire by Jude Dry

It’s one of the year’s best gay films.

The Playlist by Carlos Aguilar

Buoyant first-time actor, Levan Gelbakhiani goes from unknown to galvanizing star in a unique role. His presence is one of stunning physicality, proving there’s strength in what others see as a weakness in his character.

IndieWire by Jude Dry

It’s one of the year’s best gay films.

The Film Stage by Jared Mobarak

The result is at once empowering . . . heart-wrenching . . . and inspirational.

The Film Stage by Jared Mobarak

The result is at once empowering . . . heart-wrenching . . . and inspirational.

The Film Stage by Jared Mobarak

The result is at once empowering . . . heart-wrenching . . . and inspirational.

Screen Daily by Lisa Nesselson

An instantly engaging tale of a young male dancer’s sexual awakening in contemporary Tbilisi, And Then We Danced is personal and political, romantic and educational.

Film Threat by Alan Ng

And Then We Danced works because of a tender and heartfelt performance by Levan Gelbakhiani.

Screen Daily by Lisa Nesselson

An instantly engaging tale of a young male dancer’s sexual awakening in contemporary Tbilisi, And Then We Danced is personal and political, romantic and educational.

Film Threat by Alan Ng

And Then We Danced works because of a tender and heartfelt performance by Levan Gelbakhiani.

The Observer (UK) by Simran Hans

Gelbakhiani is commanding in his first acting role, metabolising heartbreak and moving with an irrepressible prowling sensuality.

The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw

The physicality of this picture is exciting.

Empire by Ian Freer

And Then We Danced is a well-made love story, anchored by a mesmerizing Levan Gelbakhiani and enlivened by electrifying dance numbers.

Screen Daily by Lisa Nesselson

An instantly engaging tale of a young male dancer’s sexual awakening in contemporary Tbilisi, And Then We Danced is personal and political, romantic and educational.

Film Threat by Alan Ng

And Then We Danced works because of a tender and heartfelt performance by Levan Gelbakhiani.

Slant Magazine

Levan Akin offers up a swooning gay romance as the centerpiece from which all of his other ideas radiate.

Slant Magazine

Levan Akin offers up a swooning gay romance as the centerpiece from which all of his other ideas radiate.

Slant Magazine by Ben Flanagan

Levan Akin offers up a swooning gay romance as the centerpiece from which all of his other ideas radiate.

Movie Nation by Roger Moore

Manages to tell an over-familiar coming out story with sensitivity, and a Georgian accent.

Movie Nation by Roger Moore

Manages to tell an over-familiar coming out story with sensitivity, and a Georgian accent.

Variety by Jay Weissberg

Gifted as both a thrilling dancer and a nuanced actor, Gelbakhiani’s magnetic presence goes a long way toward papering over some of the more timeworn plot elements . . . and the film should make audiences clamor for more vehicles that feature his seemingly effortless ability to radiate joy.

Variety by Jay Weissberg

Gifted as both a thrilling dancer and a nuanced actor, Gelbakhiani’s magnetic presence goes a long way toward papering over some of the more timeworn plot elements . . . and the film should make audiences clamor for more vehicles that feature his seemingly effortless ability to radiate joy.

The A.V. Club by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

The dancing is mostly depicted in practice and rehearsal in a featureless room, captured in raggedly cut handheld sequences that betray the movie’s modest means. If Akin knows how to direct better than this, he rarely shows it. But if he never displays a knack for visualizing the physicality of dance (more impressive rehearsal footage can be found in about five seconds on YouTube), he does a decent job of conveying the frustration and passion it inspires in Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani, a professional dancer).

The A.V. Club by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

The dancing is mostly depicted in practice and rehearsal in a featureless room, captured in raggedly cut handheld sequences that betray the movie’s modest means. If Akin knows how to direct better than this, he rarely shows it. But if he never displays a knack for visualizing the physicality of dance (more impressive rehearsal footage can be found in about five seconds on YouTube), he does a decent job of conveying the frustration and passion it inspires in Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani, a professional dancer).

The Hollywood Reporter by Boyd van Hoeij

No good performance can hide the fact that what happens during roughly the first hour is perhaps beautifully laid out and told but also extremely familiar. There is an expectation that Akin, also credited with the screenplay, will somehow step it up in the second half with a new twist or unexpected insight. But quite the opposite happens, as the narrative becomes both more melodramatic and erratic.

The New York Times by Glenn Kenny

The cast perform with conviction, and the whole movie is attractively, solidly put together. But its dramatic components, fraught as they are, are tepidly delivered.

The Hollywood Reporter by Boyd van Hoeij

No good performance can hide the fact that what happens during roughly the first hour is perhaps beautifully laid out and told but also extremely familiar. There is an expectation that Akin, also credited with the screenplay, will somehow step it up in the second half with a new twist or unexpected insight. But quite the opposite happens, as the narrative becomes both more melodramatic and erratic.

The New York Times by Glenn Kenny

The cast perform with conviction, and the whole movie is attractively, solidly put together. But its dramatic components, fraught as they are, are tepidly delivered.