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SARAH'S KEY (ELLE S'APPELAIT SARAH)Movie Reviews
French/English language drama about an American journalist who uncovers a family secret that links her forever to the destiny of a young Jewish girl. Cast:Kristin Scott Thomas, Niels Arestrup, Mélusine Mayance, Frédéric Pierrot, Michel DuchaussoyDirector:Gilles Paquet-BrennerRelease Date:July 22, 2011DVD Release:November 22, 2011From:The Weinstein CompanyRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 53 min.
Sarah's Key (Elle s'appelait Sarah) played in key cities to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Tasha Robinson wrote for the AV Club, "...veers in and out of conventionality, and ultimately sinks into it at the end. But first, it deals with old types in new ways, raising issues as it raises hackles." • And Tom Long wrote in the Detroit News, "...its impact is undeniable. The scars of war never truly heal." More Reviews Below...
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a moderately absorbing mystery/meditation.... The Holocaust scenes are wrenching, the past-meets-present dialectics less so."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 89 words, 07/22/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Kristin Scott Thomas does all that is probably possible to invest Julia's story with the emotional weight of Sarah's, but it is Sarah's key, and this is Sarah's story."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 509 words, 07/29/11
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it doesn't shilly-shally about... engrossing in the way that it depicts a stranger and her history and the impact it has on an individual who never knew her."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 942 words, 07/19/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Rachel Saltz, New York Times: FAIR "Sarah's story grips you... You may want to hide your eyes. No need. The film looks away for you, by cutting to the present-day story and going limp..."(See all of Rachel Saltz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 07/22/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: GOOD "...more powerful than you expect, maybe even more powerful than it should be.... It helps to have strong themes, which this film does."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 748 words, 07/22/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Kristin Scott Thomas does all that is probably possible to invest Julia's story with the emotional weight of Sarah's, but it is Sarah's key, and this is Sarah's story."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 509 words, 07/29/11
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...dutifully follows the template of scores of movies about the Shoah... filled with the usual meaningless bromides... This film vanishes from memory immediately."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 209 words, 07/20/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "Paquet-Brenner occasionally yields to melodrama, particularly in the final act, but he is resolute about not depicting all of his countrymen as Nazi stooges..."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 643 words, 08/19/11
Jennie Punter, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...ends up taking on a less dramatic, more procedural feel, but Scott Thomas's portrayal of her character's emotional transition ensures it will keep your heart open."(See all of Jennie Punter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 577 words, 08/19/11
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "The film's balance is masterful, juggling a modern-day mystery, a nail-biting escape adventure told in flashback, and richly nuanced psychological drama on both sides."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 558 words, 07/29/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...gripping, if uneven... Mélusine Mayance is a compelling young actress who grabs your heart with the light-fingered touch of a Fanning sister."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 07/29/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...unconventional... a guilty remembrance of a dark corner of French history tucked into a ticking clock thriller.... by alternating turns breathless and grimly reflective."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 07/23/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a worthy addition to the groaning shelf of Holocaust-themed dramas.... a compelling, handsomely produced history lesson and personal drama..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 222 words, 07/29/11
Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...affecting, if occasionally didactic... novelist Tatiana de Rosnay's theme of the power of truth stumbles over the false notes of fiction."(See all of Kerry Lengel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 289 words, 07/29/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a classic story of survivor's guilt, and 'Sarah's Key' -- based on the best-selling novel by the Anglo-French novelist Tatiana de Rosnay -- often explores it with feeling."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 464 words, 07/22/11
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a mature refutation of the romantic myth of wartime France as a land of partisans and Resistance fighters, and it's especially welcome to find this in a French film."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 08/05/11
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The film often seems weirdly off-kilter... you leave both moved and frustrated, by the way its main story too often gets eclipsed by a less-important one."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 07/29/11
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...harrowing and powerfully told... Paquet-Brenner doesn't stint on depicting the indignities and violence inflicted even on children..."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 256 words, 07/29/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...like two films fighting for control... The first is a vivid and valuable contribution to our understanding of the Holocaust. The second is a pale and paltry addendum."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 293 words, 07/29/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...has perhaps a few too many coincidences and complications, but its impact is undeniable. The scars of war never truly heal."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 371 words, 07/29/11
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...dutifully follows the template of scores of movies about the Shoah... filled with the usual meaningless bromides... This film vanishes from memory immediately."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 209 words, 07/20/11
Betsy Sherman, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a superior 'woman in the present becomes obsessed with woman in the past' narrative.... Paquet-Brenner sets up a compelling interplay of tensions..."(See all of Betsy Sherman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 161 words, 08/04/11
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...veers in and out of conventionality, and ultimately sinks into it at the end. But first, it deals with old types in new ways, raising issues as it raises hackles."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 07/21/11
Michelle Orange, Movieline: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) " 'Sarah's Key' wants to engage deeply -- novelistically -- with its subject but mistakes narrative over-embroidery for a density of theme."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 835 words, 07/21/11
Andrew Schenker, Slant: WEAK(cg) "Middlebrow it is to the core... there's little in Paquet-Brenner's film to suggest that the Holocaust exists for any other purpose than for one woman's personal fulfillment."(See all of Andrew Schenker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 07/17/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Paquet-Brenner mines suspense not just out of the mysteries of the plot but also our own anticipation of how we will react to what we suspect may be coming."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 317 words, 08/12/11
Rachel Saltz, New York Times: FAIR "Sarah's story grips you... You may want to hide your eyes. No need. The film looks away for you, by cutting to the present-day story and going limp..."(See all of Rachel Saltz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 07/22/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...more powerful than you expect, maybe even more powerful than it should be.... It helps to have strong themes, which this film does."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 748 words, 07/22/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Alissa Simon, Daily Variety: GOOD "Pacquet-Brenner's direction is always respectful if never entirely subtle.... he takes a realistically complex approach to history rather than reducing it to good vs. evil."(See all of Alissa Simon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 624 words, 09/16/10
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "...heartbreaking, wonderfully acted and superbly dramatized.... a poignant tale of two females confronted by the madness of history."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 10/15/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...more powerful than you expect, maybe even more powerful than it should be.... It helps to have strong themes, which this film does."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 748 words, 07/22/11
Jeff Farr, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "...likely to be compared to Stephen Daldry's 'The Reader,' but 'Sarah's Key' makes a unique contribution with its painful but needed focus on the child's perspective on war."(See all of Jeff Farr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 07/21/11
Rachel Saltz, New York Times: FAIR "Sarah's story grips you... You may want to hide your eyes. No need. The film looks away for you, by cutting to the present-day story and going limp..."(See all of Rachel Saltz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 07/22/11
19.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Sarah's Key (Elle s'appelait Sarah)'s reviews are separated by an average 19.8 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.
Sarah's Key (Elle s'appelait Sarah) (38 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Sarah's Key (Elle s'appelait Sarah)'s reviews cover 53.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 17,164 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 452 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 64.4 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Sarah's Key (Elle s'appelait Sarah)'s reviews on average broke 64.4 hours 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 Sarah's Key (Elle s'appelait Sarah)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Sarah's Key (Elle s'appelait Sarah) (38 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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