70
The New York Times by A.O. Scott
La Flor is perhaps more fun to think about than to sit through, though there are some exquisitely beautiful sequences.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
90
Los Angeles Times by Justin Chang
La Flor, as sweeping and addictive as much of it is, doesn’t have the structural predictability that a more conventional serialized narrative does. It’s too freewheeling, too experimental, too eager to carve out fresh avenues of meaning. At a time when duration is no guarantee of depth, it’s the definition of a must-see.
100
Slant Magazine by Keith Uhlich
The arc of La Flor’s first three episodes, in particular, suggests someone continually working and reworking the film of their dreams, adjusting the tone, the approach, the narrative twists and the emotional intensity on the fly.
100
The Film Stage by Leonardo Goi
La Flor shares Extraordinary Stories’ ambitious scope and structure, but takes them to a whole new level of resolutely rebellious narrative freedom.
75
Everything about La Flor — that financiers agreed to bankroll it, Llinás and his team were able to complete it, and festivals, distributors, and exhibitors are now screening it — is a marvel. Anyone with a disdain for the studio system’s endless parade of franchises (and with 14 hours) to spare would do well to give it their undivided attention.
75
The A.V. Club by Mike D'Angelo
Some petals are admittedly prettier or more fragrant than others (and the film has serious stem problems), but there’s forbidding beauty in the sheer ambition itself.
80
You will no doubt bail out at some point – but that’s part of the deal. Llinás has done enough to make sure we come back.
50
RogerEbert.com by Simon Abrams
Watching La Flor is like being on the last legs of a road trip with a group of people you’ve grown increasingly alienated from. Look at the happy artists, they’re having fun playing with themselves; good for them, can I go home now?