74
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzRogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzOver the years, Trueba has quietly, steadily built one of the most stylistically diverse filmographies in world cinema. This is another terrific entry. Try to see it on a big screen if you can. And if you can't, be sure to play it loud.
- 80VarietyChris WillmanVarietyChris WillmanJazz and animation make for strong bedfellows in They Shot the Piano Player, a film from Spanish directors Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal that represents an intriguing hybrid in all sorts of ways.
- 80Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJavier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba’s film is a lot of things, almost all of them good. It’s a vibrant, colorful, animated movie. It’s a serious documentary about political oppression and violence. It’s a loving exploration of Brazilian bossa nova. The soundtrack is incredible.
- 75Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsThe film basically and improbably works, even with some limitations.
- Under the supervision of animation director Carlos Léon Sancha, the film is a graceful, somewhat overbusy visual treat, a playful riot of colors anchored by a crisp sense of line.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenFernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal tackle a tricky balancing act in their new feature, celebrating the intoxicating lilt of the bossa nova and also investigating the devastating brutality of state terrorism. It’s a testament to their talent as filmmakers that, for the most part, they manage to pull it off.
- 70The New York TimesClaire ShafferThe New York TimesClaire ShafferJavier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba’s They Shot the Piano Player is an astoundingly vibrant animated project, fitting for its subject matter.
- 63Slant MagazineWilliam RepassSlant MagazineWilliam RepassUnlike, say, Richard Linklater’s Waking Life, which takes advantage of rotoscoping to lend a unique style to the animation depending on who’s talking and about what, They Shot the Piano Player aims for more stylistic continuity than one would expect, given the free-wheeling soundtrack.
- The animation on offer is also strictly low-fi, something we might charitably call relatable––it seems indistinct from what members of the audience might be able to produce should they put some effort into it.
- 42IndieWireChristian BlauveltIndieWireChristian BlauveltThe result is an aggravating missed opportunity to tell a story that absolutely needs to be told to an audience that needs to hear it.