78
Metascore
32 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterThis is a work of art so deep and resonant that it puts most narrative films to shame.
- 80The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensThe resulting film is moving, charming and sad, a tribute to Ms. Briski's indomitability and to the irrepressible creative spirits of the children themselves.
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoBriski, a New York photographer, spent several years with the pre-teens. But she did more than just film them -- she tried to help them.
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittA stirring documentary, and would be more so if it focused more on social problems than on Briski's own work.
- 70Chicago ReaderChicago ReaderThe children are not exactly reporters -- they bring back no shattering images of sexual servitude -- but their photography, like much children's art, is fresh and sometimes startling.
- 70Film ThreatFilm ThreatThe brightest facet of the movie is that even as they face oppressive conditions they still persist with joy.
- 70The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinFavors unforgettable images over in-depth storytelling, and prioritizing electrifying moments over narrative arcs.
- 70VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyEven if the film itself is relatively conventional, its exposure of a squalid city's most benighted neighborhood and its introduction of hope into nearly hopeless lives give it strong human interest value.
- 70Village VoiceJessica WinterVillage VoiceJessica WinterAlmost inevitably for a documentary of this stripe, it risks aestheticizing poverty--but here it's usually the kids themselves who compose the most arresting images.
- 70TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxIn a rare and inspiring example of the way art can both reflect and alleviate human suffering, photojournalist Zana Briski's wrenching documentary traces her valiant use of photography to help children trapped in one of the most wretched places on earth.