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SILENT LIGHTMovie Reviews
Spanish language drama about a man of faith who succumbs to a temptation he cannot resist in a Mennonite community in Mexico. Cast:Cornelio Wall, Maria Pankratz, Miriam Toews, Peter Wall, Jacobo Klassen, Elizabeth FehrDirector:Carlos ReygadasRelease Date:January 7, 2009DVD Release:September 8, 2009From:Palisades TartanLength:2 hr. 16 min.
Silent Light played in limited release to excellent reviews that at the same time were mixed. • John Hartl wrote in the Seattle Times, "...a sublime tale... the filmmakers stop and listen, almost literally smelling the roses as they discover the miraculous in the seemingly mundane." • And V.A. Musetto wrote in the New York Post, "With 'Silent Light,' Carlos Reygadas takes his place among the leading directors working today." More Reviews Below...
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...a glacial tale of adultery, features a 'miraculous' climax -- it mingles the living and the dead -- ripped off from Carl Dreyer's 'Ordet' (1955), one of the great religious films."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 91 words, 01/16/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (5 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "There are a handful of ways to understand the meaning... a film about that ordinary light that sometimes still passes through a camera and creates something divine."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 934 words, 09/24/08
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...solemn and profound... about a man transfixed by love, which causes him to betray his good and faithful wife.... has a beauty based on nature and the rhythms of the land."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 822 words, 03/19/09
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...his most mature work yet.... With 'Silent Light,' Carlos Reygadas takes his place among the leading directors working today."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 353 words, 01/07/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...something of a miracle... while it wears its key influences proudly, it is in fact different from nearly everything else in contemporary world cinema."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 753 words, 03/20/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Carlos Reygadas is attempting to induce a state of transcendence, and his approach sometimes works... you have to surrender to the movie to keep from going buggy."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 01/12/09
John Hartl, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a sublime tale... the filmmakers stop and listen, almost literally smelling the roses as they discover the miraculous in the seemingly mundane."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 491 words, 03/27/09
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...it's exceedingly formal and deliberate, evidently labored over and has a late plot twist that almost ruins everything. But these are noble, purposeful flaws."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 233 words, 04/10/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (0 Reviews)
Silent Light has not been reviewed by Alternative/Indie
HIGHBROW PRESS (1 Review)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "There are a handful of ways to understand the meaning... a film about that ordinary light that sometimes still passes through a camera and creates something divine."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 934 words, 09/24/08
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "The stiffness of the performances, except from the children, who are just naturally wonderful, works extremely well in this context."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 540 words, 05/23/07
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "There are a handful of ways to understand the meaning... a film about that ordinary light that sometimes still passes through a camera and creates something divine."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 934 words, 09/24/08
21.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Silent Light's reviews are separated by an average 21.0 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.
Silent Light (11 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Silent Light's reviews cover 15.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 5,960 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 542 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 7 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Silent Light's reviews on average broke 7 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 Silent Light's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Silent Light (11 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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