80
The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis
Immersed in the alien beauty of the Kazakh steppe, "The Gift to Stalin" moves slowly but engages thoroughly.
The Gift to Stalin (Подарок Сталину)
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- Kazakhstan,
- Russia,
- Poland,
- Israel
- 2008
- · 97m
Director
Rustem Abdrashov
Cast
S. Kunushaliyeva,
Bakhtiar Khoja,
Yekaterina Rednikova,
Dalen Shintemirov,
Waldemar Szczepaniak,
Nurzhuman Ihtymbaev
Genre
Drama
The Gift to Stalin tells the story of a little Jewish boy named Sasha who is sent to Kazakhstan. He is saved from death by an old Kazakh man, Kasym, who takes the boy into his home. The film is set in 1949 and is based on the memoirs of David Markish.
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What are critics saying?
60
Village Voice
Alternating between impressive and pedestrian shot-making, professional and amateurish acting, the film aims for gravitas and entertainment but only occasionally achieves either.
60
Variety
Script weaknesses overwhelm ethnographic interest, historical tragedy and some solid performances in period drama "The Gift to Stalin."
60
Village Voice by Eric Hynes
Alternating between impressive and pedestrian shot-making, professional and amateurish acting, the film aims for gravitas and entertainment but only occasionally achieves either.
60
Variety by Russell Edwards
Script weaknesses overwhelm ethnographic interest, historical tragedy and some solid performances in period drama "The Gift to Stalin."
50
New York Post by V.A. Musetto
Beautifully filmed and well-acted, "The Gift to Stalin," directed by Rustem Abdrashev, has its schmaltzy, cliched moments, including an unnecessary finale in Jerusalem.
50
IndieWire
The Gift to Stalin could have benefited from a less complex approach, something that would've actually hit the notes the filmmaker had aimed for. Unfortunately, he needed to try it all. Little of it succeeds, which can be rather draining at times, and not in the way he intended it to be.
50
IndieWire by Christopher Bell
The Gift to Stalin could have benefited from a less complex approach, something that would've actually hit the notes the filmmaker had aimed for. Unfortunately, he needed to try it all. Little of it succeeds, which can be rather draining at times, and not in the way he intended it to be.
40
Time Out by David Fear
The historical tragedy that's dramatized is heartrending; the movie itself is merely one cliché piled atop another.
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