Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will discontinue
publishing this website at the end of May (more...)
Search a Movie:
THE FLAT (2012)Movie Reviews
Hebrew, German and English language documentary about a man who discovers evidence that his family had ties to Nazi Germany while clearing out his deceased grandmother's apartment. Cast:Arnon Goldfinger, Hannah Goldfinger, Edda Milz von Mildenstein, Harald Milz, Gertrude Kino, Tamar Tuchler, Michael WildtDirector:Arnon GoldfingerRelease Date:October 19, 2012DVD Release:March 19, 2013From:IFCLength:1 hr. 22 min.
MARCH 19, 2013
The Flat (2012), Outstanding Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
The Flat (2012) played in key cities to outstanding reviews. • Joe Morgenstern wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "...goes from intriguing to astonishing by way of unfathomable... an unfolding mystery that's all the more surprising for being factual..." More Reviews Below...
The Flat (2012) Positive Reviews (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "I salute the deftness and intelligence with which Arnon Goldfinger observes the reactions of the living to the revelations of the dead."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 76 words, 11/30/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...spellbinding.... That all these older people are still alert and articulate brings a particular interest to the wording of their conversations."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 11/02/12
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...this is not a film about one specific event but about human nature -- most notably, the instincts toward denial and delusion, acceptance and forgiveness."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 133 words, 10/19/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD "There's something shambling and unassuming about the film, a home-movie quality to much of its footage. But it's not just any home that's being examined..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 10/24/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...spellbinding.... That all these older people are still alert and articulate brings a particular interest to the wording of their conversations."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 11/02/12
Chuck Wilson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...superb... raises questions about truth and memory so provocative that moviegoers are likely to stand in the lobby debating them."(See all of Chuck Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 10/10/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...there's something touching about the way Arnon Goldfinger obeys his moral compass. He doesn't seem at all happy with that luxury."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 11/30/12
Leba Hertz, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...remarkable... The movie feels more like a thriller and a mystery than a documentary. Perhaps someday, someone will dramatize this astonishing story."(See all of Leba Hertz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 166 words, 11/02/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Though not always smoothly presented, it is a compelling tale of history made personal, and of what happens when light is shone on something previously murky."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 334 words, 11/16/12
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's debatable whether Goldfinger or anyone else is truly invested in a full explication... their reluctance to face unpleasant truths is itself a poignant part of the tale."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 159 words, 11/16/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...like many well-intentioned documentaries, 'The Flat' derives more power from the implicit strength of the subject than from the explicit choices of the director."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 362 words, 12/07/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "Are things better left alone or is revealing all always the best path? 'The Flat,' to its credit, offers nothing like a definitive answer."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 410 words, 11/23/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Chuck Wilson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...superb... raises questions about truth and memory so provocative that moviegoers are likely to stand in the lobby debating them."(See all of Chuck Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 10/10/12
Joseph Jon Lanthier, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The focus on fact-finding rather than cathartic speculation evinces unthinkable politesse on the filmmaker's part, but the information he compiles is full of holes..."(See all of Joseph Jon Lanthier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 10/14/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...goes from intriguing to astonishing by way of unfathomable... an unfolding mystery that's all the more surprising for being factual..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 10/19/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "There's something shambling and unassuming about the film, a home-movie quality to much of its footage. But it's not just any home that's being examined..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 10/24/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Ronnie Scheib, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "Like many great Holocaust films, it starts with a simple object: a Nazi newspaper, found in the Tel Aviv apartment of the director's grandmother... fascinating..."(See all of Ronnie Scheib's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 04/22/12
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "An astonishing trip into buried history and the human capacity for self-delusion... the director refuses to make himself the center of this drama..."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 379 words, 04/29/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "There's something shambling and unassuming about the film, a home-movie quality to much of its footage. But it's not just any home that's being examined..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 10/24/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...goes from intriguing to astonishing by way of unfathomable... an unfolding mystery that's all the more surprising for being factual..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 10/19/12
12.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Flat (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 12.7 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.
The Flat (2012) (20 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Flat (2012)'s reviews cover 28.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 7,066 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 353 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 9 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Flat (2012)'s reviews on average broke 9 days after 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 The Flat (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Flat (2012) (20 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
