75
Slant Magazine by Clayton Dillard
The film is unwaveringly attentive to problematizing the dividing line between predator and prey.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
80
The Hollywood Reporter by David Rooney
The unselfconscious naturalness of the nonprofessional cast yields no shortage of sharply observed moments.
83
It renders a global crisis in strikingly intimate terms.
75
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.
80
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.
40
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.
80
The film proves a piercing character study whose narrow view frustrates complete empathy.
83
There’s a specificity to Mediterranea that at times makes it feel like an actual documentary.
70
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.
90
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
This calm, hardheaded film never sacrifices its toughness for a swooning, misty-eyed moment of hope.