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BEYOND THE HILLS (DUPA DEALURI)Movie Reviews
Romanian language drama about a woman who cannot accept her childhood friend's decision to live in a monastic convent. Cast:Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur, Valeriu Andriuta, Dana Tapalaga, Catalina Harabagiu, Gina Tandura, Vica Agache, Nora Covali, Dionisie Vitcu, Ionut Ghinea, Liliana Mocanu, Doru Ana, Costache Babii, Luminita Gheorghiu, Alina BerzunteanuDirector:Cristian MungiuRelease Date:March 8, 2013DVD Release: TBD From:IFCLength:2 hr 35 min
Beyond the Hills (Dupa dealuri), Excellent Reviews Key Cities
Beyond the Hills (Dupa dealuri) played in key cities to excellent reviews. • A.O. Scott wrote in the New York Times, "...tough and engrossing... Mr. Mungiu maintains a detached, objective point of view, allowing the details of the story to speak for themselves..." More Reviews Below...
Mary Pols, Time: OUTSTANDING "...may be the best movie no one will want to see in 2013.... a grueling but perfectly crafted story of religious faith versus human love.... the suspenseful film does horrify."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 974 words, 03/08/13
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a subtle and moving exploration into the sacred and profane.... Cristian Mungiu lets the bleakness of these lives seep into the soul.... quietly devastating."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 163 words, 03/01/13
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: EXCELLENT(cg) "...entirely gripping... its overall effect is powerful, haunting. Not a fun night at the movies, perhaps, but certainly a memorable and stirring one."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 576 words, 03/07/13
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...tough and engrossing... Mr. Mungiu maintains a detached, objective point of view, allowing the details of the story to speak for themselves..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 782 words, 03/08/13
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "The deliberate pace Mungiu employs in this incredible work is so engrossing and quietly heartbreaking that its philosophical ending may come as a shock."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 130 words, 03/08/13
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...haunting, beautifully acted... Oleg Mutu, a regular Mungiu collaborator, has a genius for framing cramped group tableaux in dynamic compositions."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 03/08/13
Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...at times the pace is nerve-wrackingly slow. But Mungiu has his own way of creating suspense, and he has a gift for making a known outcome as shocking as a twist."(See all of Farran Smith Nehme's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 262 words, 03/08/13
John Anderson, New York Newsday: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...moves so effortlessly through the gnarly intersection of love, loss, God and godlessness that you barely notice how much Cristian Mungiu is doing..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 317 words, 03/15/13
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Mungiu observes this tragedy without resorting to supernatural touches or true-crime formula. His sound design unsettles with unseen elements..."(See all of Bill Stamets's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 410 words, 03/15/13
Scott Foundas, Village Voice: OUTSTANDING "...about what happens when an outsider stirs the air like that Heisenbergian particle that, once detected, cannot remain unchanged.... powerful and necessary..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 700 words, 03/06/13
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...compassionate and wise.... Mungiu sees the shades of grey of many a life dilemma, which often can't be resolved by strict application of faith or law."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 635 words, 03/29/13
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "The script is adroit at embedding the details in casual conversation. And the details, of course, are crucial - that's where an indifferent God resides."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 629 words, 03/29/13
Karina Longworth, LA Weekly: MODERATE "...something of a disappointment. The initially fascinating, ambiguous relationship between the two young women is overwhelmed by the hysteria..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 450 words, 05/19/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "Mungiu makes the spare mise-en-scène an essential element of the drama. Look for the lovely, understated metaphor about a stove the nuns are constantly fixing..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 336 words, 03/28/13
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...austere but subtly textured.... invites the audience into a world that's simultaneously familiar and alien, existing in a nether region between the ancient and of-the-moment."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 03/15/13
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a film that asks its viewer to consider the nature of good and evil, love and trust -- and trust that turns into something like blind faith. Or simply blind indifference."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 331 words, 03/29/13
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "The final shot suggests that no human agency is great enough to handle this world's misery. Hardly a kick-up-your-heels philosophy, but perhaps a realistic one."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 311 words, 04/05/13
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a haunting movie, dealing with superstitions, possession, even exorcism, one in which Mungiu poses no easy answers, because there are none to be found."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 560 words, 04/05/13
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Mungiu is a great filmmaker whose talent is disguised in ordinary moments.... We know what's going to happen to Alina and are powerless to stop it."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 04/05/13
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...lust... despair... covetousness... bearing false witness.... there is the sin of caring far too much -- and mostly, of not caring enough."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 626 words, 03/08/13
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...long and troubling... the film offers rewards for the patient viewer as it examines conflicting visions of love played out in a remote faith-based community."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 461 words, 03/15/13
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...explores religious delusion taken to tragic extremes... shows just how stupid and destructive belief can be when not underpinned by some measure of reason."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 189 words, 02/07/13
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an enigmatic and austere film from a region where political, sexual and religious repression are as stifling as the sooty air."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 340 words, 04/06/13
Tom Long, Detroit News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Mungiu has a powerful way with the mundane, the ridiculous and the basic mechanics of life.... This movie is draining, but draining in a way that reminds you you're human."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 292 words, 04/05/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice: OUTSTANDING "...about what happens when an outsider stirs the air like that Heisenbergian particle that, once detected, cannot remain unchanged.... powerful and necessary..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 700 words, 03/06/13
Karina Longworth, LA Weekly: MODERATE "...something of a disappointment. The initially fascinating, ambiguous relationship between the two young women is overwhelmed by the hysteria..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 450 words, 05/19/12
Scott Tobias, AV Club: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...has a rich understanding of the appeals and perils of religious values that provide structure and meaning to some while seeming cruel and irrational to outsiders."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 03/07/13
Elena Razlogova, Pop Matters: GOOD(cg) "...shows how multiple flawed decisions lead to an inevitable tragedy... it is not so much a statement against faith but against the church as an instrument of social control."(See all of Elena Razlogova's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 351 words, 05/25/12
Nick Schager, Slant: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...austere... ultimately, it's Mungiu's staging and compositional skill that lends the material its true sense of dawning dread..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 761 words, 09/25/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "Mungiu makes the spare mise-en-scène an essential element of the drama. Look for the lovely, understated metaphor about a stove the nuns are constantly fixing..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 336 words, 03/28/13
HIGHBROW PRESS (7 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...fascinating.... It's tempting to see it solely as an indictment of religion, but the film is more ambitious than that.... The broader subject is possession by primitive ideas."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 342 words, 03/15/13
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...tough and engrossing... Mr. Mungiu maintains a detached, objective point of view, allowing the details of the story to speak for themselves..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 782 words, 03/08/13
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: OUTSTANDING "At two and a half hours, this movie is hardly a quick-fire, but Mungiu has already mastered the long haul, and, within it, the long single take."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 435 words, 03/04/13
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...haunting, beautifully acted... Oleg Mutu, a regular Mungiu collaborator, has a genius for framing cramped group tableaux in dynamic compositions."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 03/08/13
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: OUTSTANDING "...intense and mesmerizing... a long way from being an easy or conventionally uplifting viewing experience.... one of the year's most powerful films."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 742 words, 03/11/13
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Stephen Dalton, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...an engrossingly serious work, and confirms Mungiu as a maturing talent with more universal stories to tell than those defined by Romania's recent political past."(See all of Stephen Dalton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 731 words, 05/19/12
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...haunting, beautifully acted... Oleg Mutu, a regular Mungiu collaborator, has a genius for framing cramped group tableaux in dynamic compositions."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 03/08/13
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...thematically harrowing and emotionally gripping... ultimately it is rewarding, and the remarkably uncompromising closure is as painful as it is logical and necessary."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 910 words, 05/21/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...tough and engrossing... Mr. Mungiu maintains a detached, objective point of view, allowing the details of the story to speak for themselves..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 782 words, 03/08/13
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...fascinating.... It's tempting to see it solely as an indictment of religion, but the film is more ambitious than that.... The broader subject is possession by primitive ideas."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 342 words, 03/15/13
13.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Beyond the Hills (Dupa dealuri)'s reviews are separated by an average 13.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Beyond the Hills (Dupa dealuri) (36 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Beyond the Hills (Dupa dealuri)'s reviews cover 61.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 18,630 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 518 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 38 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Beyond the Hills (Dupa dealuri)'s reviews on average broke 38 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Beyond the Hills (Dupa dealuri)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Beyond the Hills (Dupa dealuri) (36 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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