Emile
Metascore
58 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
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  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Michael Rechtshaffen
    80
    It's a beautifully modulated performance in a nicely crafted, quietly unassuming character study by Vancouver-based writer-director Carl Bessai.
  2. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    75
    Poignant and well acted, though not very memorable.
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    75
    The dreamy drama Emile shows how a talented cast can turn a tentative plot into pleasant viewing.
  4. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Ashley Cooper
    70
    A small but excellent cast supports McKellen in what is a beautiful and intelligent film.
  5. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    70
    At heart a reverie, a meditation on the past and its treacheries.
  6. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    60
    While most films in which the angry past confronts the guilty present degenerate into mawkish reconciliations, Emile errs on the side of restraint.
  7. Variety
    Reviewed by: Scott Foundas
    60
    A routine memory piece about long-buried family secrets that bubble back to the surface to wreak havoc.
  8. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    50
    Both lightweight and heavy-handed, Carl Bessai's arthouse drama can't even be redeemed by Ian McKellen's sensitive turn in the title role.
  9. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    50
    Sensitively played but ultimately undone by its unconventional approach.
  10. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: David Blaylock
    30
    Odd beginning permits viewers to leave after five minutes and know what happens. Those remaining are left with the full tome, its 92-minute length hiding an experience as draining as "Heaven's Gate."

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