70
More than just another personal story of adversity overcome, Boesten’s film paints a rich, complex portrait of Black American life.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
70
The New York Times by Ben Kenigsberg
The thesis of the movie — that art can be restorative and help overcome cyclical, systemic failures — might seem trite. But Morton’s devotion to his painting and his loved ones makes it difficult not to be moved.
70
Wall Street Journal by John Anderson
Master of Light is a film not just about art and redemption but a character sorting out his life, and what he truly believes about art.
80
The Hollywood Reporter by John DeFore
Much is left unsaid in the beautifully shot doc, which will leave inquisitive viewers wanting many more specifics on both the family front and the artistic one. But sacrificing such detail allows Boesten to develop a more intimate emotional portrait of Morton, a subject whose thoughtful self-invention is affecting practically from the first scene.
83
The Playlist by Leslie Byron Pitt
Morton’s paintings are beautifully stirring pieces. Gracefully composed with a true sense of the artist’s history behind them. Rosa Ruth Boesten’s film is an extension of this. A fitting and compassionate feature that reignites fierce feelings about the power of artistic expression.
90
The light here emanates from Morton. His curiosity about art, about his place in the world after his incarceration, makes visible the darkness he’s experienced.
88
RogerEbert.com by Matt Fagerholm
Boesten’s picture leaves viewers contemplating all that they have been unwilling to forgive, and all that could be achieved once that baggage has been thrust from their shoulders.
100
Master of Light is a gentle and graceful film defined by the capriciousness of sight.
85
Film Threat by Sabina Dana Plasse
Boesten’s ability to capture the natural beauty and intense emotions revolving around family, ghetto life, drug dealing, and its consequences is exceptional and unexpected. She transforms Master of Light from a straightforward biography of a great but somewhat unknown artist into a poignant documentary that offers something to everyone of any generation.