Admirably unsentimental about the ravages of poverty and mental illness on the foundations of family. But soon the endless succession of heartaches that visit Gaita's brood -- including multiple suicide attempts and romantic betrayals -- becomes monotonous and unbearable, the cinematic equivalent of someone slowly pressing his thumb into your forehead.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
40
70
Los Angeles Times by Carina Chocano
For all its sad moments, Romulus, My Father is a love story between father and son kept aloft by unalloyed admiration.
63
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
This is a workmanlike motion picture with solid performances. It's just that the superior production values are used in service of a mediocre storyline.
70
Wall Street Journal by Joe Morgenstern
The film succeeds on the strength of the boy, and the remarkable young actor who plays him, Kodi Smit-McPhee.
50
San Francisco Chronicle by Peter Hartlaub
The performances are the best part of this uneven film.