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Absolute Wilson
Metascore
69 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    100
    An excellent introduction to the singular vision of avant-garde stage director Robert Wilson.
  2. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: John Pritcher
    80
    The real value of this film is its treasure trove of archival footage, rare clips that document this genius of an artist as a young man.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Carina Chocano
    80
    Impressive as is Wilson's output and oeuvre, it's the fully-engaged, aesthetically driven life that fascinates. And Otto-Bernstein's movie is a portrait of an artist at his most essential, in every sense.
  4. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Chris Jones
    75
    Not only does this film offer a comprehensive portrait of a fascinating and underexplored leader of the American avant-garde in the late 20th Century, it ends up making some compelling connections between his works and the rich, occasionally self-destructive trajectory of the life that forged them.
  5. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    75
    Surprisingly square portrait of avant-garde artist and director Robert Wilson.
  6. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Bill White
    75
    Katharina Otto-Bernstein's oral history of Wilson's life and work, narrated by Wilson, with a handful of sycophants joining in on the choruses, is monstrously one-sided. It does, however, offer insights into the director's methods and motivations.
  7. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    70
    The film penetrates the myth and mythos surrounding Wilson, making his works more accessible and open to those of us who sometimes puzzle over the methods and meanings in his cerebral, psychologically complex expressionism. The film should engender an art house following in sophisticated urban venues before its HBO broadcast.
  8. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    70
    There is plenty of substance in Absolute Wilson, as it provides a concise and absorbing portrait of a powerful creative personality.
  9. Variety
    Reviewed by: Eddie Cockrell
    70
    A surprisingly conventional portrait of a decidedly unconventional man.
  10. The New Republic
    Reviewed by: Stanley Kauffmann
    70
    This film is a valuable signet of Wilson's carefully articulated independence.
  11. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    63
    The result is a rather conventional, Biography Channel-style portrait of a man who helped change the face of theater in the last quarter of the 20th century.
  12. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Louise Kennedy
    63
    Absolute Wilson may not be original, but Wilson absolutely is. And for the glimmers of that originality that shine through here, the film is worth watching.
  13. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    60
    Absolute Wilson changed my views of Wilson as a person tremendously, and at least gave me some useful context for his art.
  14. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Steve Mikulan
    60
    Wilson is articulate and ironic, and Otto-Bernstein mostly shields us from his tantrums and critics.
  15. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    50
    Befuddling.
  16. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Peter Marks
    50
    Although the film shows many photographs and videos of his performances, it never allows a particularly coherent assessment of any of them.
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