2015
Not Rated
Sundance Selects
1 h 24 m

2015
Not Rated
Sundance Selects
1 h 24 m

Summary Amina Arraf, an attractive Syrian-American revolutionary, is having an online affair with Sandra Bagaria, a young, brilliant and well-informed Montreal professional. Amina then launches her provocatively named blog, A Gay Girl in Damascus. As the Syrian uprising gains momentum, the blog acquires a huge following. But it’s Amina’s subsequ...

Documentary

2015
Not Rated
Sundance Selects
1 h 24 m

2015
Not Rated
Sundance Selects
1 h 24 m

A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile

Name: A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2015-07-24
Duration: 1 min 24 s
Rating: 69

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 12 Critic Reviews

User Score Mixed or Average Based on 4 User Ratings

5.0

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 12 Critic Reviews

83% Positive
10 Reviews

17% Mixed
2 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

View All

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 12 Critic Reviews

83% Positive
10 Reviews

17% Mixed
2 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Hitfix

Jul 23, 2015

Even though The Amina Profile works as a cyber-thriller of sorts, I think it's much more wide-reaching than that, a story about online identity, but also about the danger of media-constructed narratives, one that manages to salute both citizen journalists, but also establishment outlets like NPR.

By Daniel Fienberg FULL REVIEW

Variety

Jul 23, 2015

The insights the movie has aren’t exceptional; this stranger-than-fiction series of events is enough.

By Ben Kenigsberg FULL REVIEW

RogerEbert.com

Jul 24, 2015

A compelling and insightful examination of this strange story, and it utilizes the cooperation of Sandra Bagaria, the Canadian woman who had been in a long-distance romantic relationship with Amina (even though the two had never met.)

By Sheila O'Malley FULL REVIEW

Village Voice

Jul 23, 2015

Deraspe returns specificity, intimacy, and human weirdness to this international scandal.

By Diana Clarke FULL REVIEW

The New York Times

Jul 23, 2015

Even knowing the secret of A Gay Girl in Damascus doesn’t make this documentary any less tense. That’s a testament to Sophie Deraspe, a director who understands how to let a plot unfold.

By Ken Jaworowski FULL REVIEW

The A.V. Club

Jul 23, 2015

Beyond treating this story like a potboiler, Deraspe does her best to make A Gay Girl In Damascus cinematic. She alternates nicely framed and photographed interviews with some fairly expressive dramatic reenactments. Some of these are pretty powerful.

By Noel Murray FULL REVIEW

The Guardian

Jul 23, 2015

Bagaria’s personal journey has none of the gravitas on screen that the director wants it to have, especially when set against the backdrop of actual human rights crises in Damascus.

By Jordan Hoffman FULL REVIEW

See All 12 Critic Reviews