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Praying with Lior
First Run Features

Praying with Lior reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 68 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
N/A out of 10
based on 12 reviews
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based on 0 votes
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MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Lior Liebling

Praying with Lior asks whether someone with Down syndrome can be a “spiritual genius.” Many believe Lior is close to God -- at least that's what his family and community believe -- though he’s also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration and an embarrassment, depending on who is asked and when. As this moving and entertaining documentary moves to its climax, Lior must pass through the gateway to manhood - his Bar Mitzvah. (First Run Features)


GENRE(S): Documentary  
DIRECTED BY: Ilana Trachtman  
RELEASE DATE: Theatrical: February 1, 2008 
RUNNING TIME: 87 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: UK 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

88
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
Apart from its intriguing religious implications, the film is also a compelling look at the family, community and congregational pillars that support Lior.
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75
The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
Intimate, moving documentary.
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75
Chicago Tribune Maureen M. Hart
Trachtman says she made the film to illustrate the plight of disabled Americans who must contend with houses of worship that lack handicapped access, but her documentary itself isn’t always so sensitive.
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75
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Though the film gets a bit repetitive, in its moving climax Lior does more than just have his bar mitzvah -- he earns it.
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70
Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
Lior is an irrepressible character as he works a room, doing exactly what a bar mitzvah boy should: challenging, instructing, and, in his own way, healing the world.
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70
The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis
Patiently and delicately, Ms. Trachtman teases out the tricky dynamics of a family dealing with a disabled child.
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70
Variety Dennis Harvey
What makes this involving beyond its subject's slightly freakish fascination is helmer Ilana Trachtman's capturing of a complex family dynamic in which Lior isn't the only intriguing personality.
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70
New York Magazine David Edelstein
Praying With Lior engages us on so many levels it transcends its middle-class Jewish milieu.
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63
Boston Globe Janice Page
There's an honest, unfiltered quality to what you see and hear.
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63
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Trachtman's gentle profile does make for touching viewing, but she leaves too many questions unanswered.
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63
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
Thoroughly heartfelt. But though Trachtman alludes to the impact that Lior's special needs and local fame has had on his family, she seems uninterested in exploring the larger history of beliefs and traditions concerning mentally challenged people and their closeness to God.
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60
Village Voice Julia Wallace
Trachtman’s movie is not technically accomplished--the camerawork is run-of-the-mill, the structure is rambling--but it’s redeemed by the deliciously complex, practically Balzac-ian family at its center.
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What Our Users Said

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