30
It's all very predictable, very Hollywood. Storytelling cliché, it would seem, knows no borders.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
60
As with his previous film Golden Door (2006), Crialese proves that he’s more adept when evoking a lyrical naturalism practiced by his directorial ancestors than when he’s hand-wringing over social issues.
85
Crialese is a sentimentalist at heart, but a fine one, and his compassion for the wretched of the earth is thrillingly amped by the movie's ecstatic imagery.
63
New York Post by Farran Smith Nehme
Europe’s immigration dilemma was also the focus of Aki Kaurismaki’s winsome “Le Havre,” and the Africans themselves were front and center in Moussa Touré’s “La Pirogue.” This film is somewhat less effective; Crialese’s message seems to take priority over a deeper sense of individuals.
80
Los Angeles Times by Gary Goldstein
A stirring commentary on our better angels.
50
The New York Times by Nicolas Rapold
As Terraferma tightens its focus on a courageous resolution of tough issues, too much nuance is jettisoned along the way.
63
The story gets both complicated and predictable.
63
Washington Post by Stephanie Merry
The story starts to feel crowded, especially when each character seems instantaneously at odds with another. One set of opposing forces would probably suffice.
50
Slant Magazine by Tomas Hachard
Its self-seriousness never allows it to become the realist counterpoint to Aki Kaurismäki's tragicomic approach in Le Havre that one initially hopes it will be.