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Torn

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Pakistan, United States · 2013
1h 20m
Director Jeremiah Birnbaum
Starring Mahnoor Baloch, Faran Tahir, Dendrie Taylor, John Heard
Genre Drama

Two mothers, Maryam and Lea, bond after their sons are killed in a mall bombing. Their tentative friendship becomes strained when one of their sons is named as a prime suspect in the attack. As they deal with the fallout from the tragedy, Maryam and Lea discover they may be more alike than they think.

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What are critics saying?

70

Village Voice by

Made for less than $500,000, Torn is proof that a little can go a long way. In fact, the microscale perfectly lends itself to the story's quiet revelations.

50

Variety by Dennis Harvey

Performances and presentation are solid enough, but the pic feels a bit undernourished, particularly once it closes on a note that’s well intentioned but provides no real resolution.

60

Los Angeles Times by Gary Goldstein

Though Torn contains its share of convincingly lived-in moments, there's a heavy-handed quality to both Jeremiah Birnbaum's direction and the script by Michael Richter that often undermines the movie's potential to truly grip and move.

70

The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis

Slowly uncovering the prejudices that calamity can unleash, Michael Richter’s screenplay lays bare the damage wrought by Sept. 11 while deftly dodging hysteria, wondering how we differentiate between innocent teenage behaviors and dangerous red flags.

50

McClatchy-Tribune News Service by Roger Moore

This culture-clash/mother bonding story was never going to be “Frozen River,” but you do sense that a lot of potential was squandered in denying these mothers big moments of mourning, bigger confrontations with the fathers of their sons.

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