45
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam ArnoldSeattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam ArnoldIt's a rare film that's about social class in American life, and Bellingham writer-director Enid Zentelis explores its hidden structure and silent barriers in a novel, subtle way that makes its points without hitting us over the head with them.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterTold with a tender vigor, the film explores relationships on a number of levels. It will ring true with mature teenagers of all classes.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasEnid Zentelis' affecting and intimate Evergreen deals with family life and coming of age and is the kind of small, deeply personal American film that rarely surfaces even in art theaters these days.
- 50Village VoiceEd ParkVillage VoiceEd ParkThough the acting is tentative at times, with performances not quite landing on the same page, Evergreen is a compassionate slice of Pacific Northwest misery.
- 50Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe entire film is poorly lit, and the melancholy music, much of it from the wonderful Wilco spin-off band Autumn Defense, gives us the sense that things are getting heavy. But in the end, we observe more than feel.
- 50Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumIt's ultimately hamstrung by storytelling that seems both underdeveloped and overdetermined.
- 40VarietyDavid RooneyVarietyDavid RooneyLand gives the drama some poignancy, revealing the pain, anger, envy and longing of a girl burdened by life's imbalances. But her character exists in a vacuum, surrounded by stock figures and unconvincing actors.
- 40The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayEvergreen suffers from creeping indie-itis, epitomized by the low-light digital video and droning electric-guitar soundtrack, but its biggest weakness lies in Zentelis' apparent fear of surprise.
- Directed by the first-timer Enid Zentelis, Evergreen seems waterlogged with rainy-day imagery and somber moods.
- 30Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanThere are a couple of good things about the film, chief among which is Land's naturalistic performance. But the overall sense of it, heightened by a folk-guitar score so spare it feels like part of the soundtrack is missing, is not one of poignant minimalism but emptiness.