Following Sean
Metascore
64 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
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  1. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    80
    What promises to be a standard postmortem on 60s ideology becomes a thoughtful essay on the choices we all make between work, family, and personal freedom.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Ruthe Stein
    75
    At its exhilarating best, Following Sean is reminiscent of the lauded British documentaries that began with "7 Up.''
  3. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    75
    Perhaps Following Sean is as much of a cultural oddity as "Sean" itself turned out to be. But it's a decidedly interesting one nonetheless.
  4. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    75
    If Arlyck's own life feels unworthy of the attention, Sean's illuminating, unconventional and contemporary story makes up for it.
  5. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Sura Wood
    70
    Arlyck's artful use of "then and now" images illustrates the relentlessness with which time moves forward. Youth is, indeed, elusive. His seductive film is a retrieval mission and, as such, it is ineffably sad.
  6. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Steven Mikulan
    70
    Sean's grandfather was the colorful longshore Communist Archie Brown, and part of the film's charm lies in its evocation of a generational mural that includes old Marxists, flower children and the progeny of red-diaper babies.
  7. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Drew Tillman
    70
    Arlyck's compulsion is to our great fortune. Patient and elegant, his film is a quietly devastating meditation on family, work, and the unrelenting passage of time.
  8. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Gene Seymour
    70
    What emerges from Arlyck's musings is a penetrating cinematic essay on how generations in the last century struggled to take hold of history and reconfigure the shape of daily life.
  9. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Nathan Lee
    70
    What emerges is a liberal meditation on freedom and compromise, and a nostalgia trip graced by eloquent restraint.
  10. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    70
    You won't be disappointed, and you will be deeply, quietly moved.
  11. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Janice Page
    63
    If ''Sean" was about conviction and revolution, Following Sean is about ambivalence and resignation. In either case it's pretty easy for a funny-provocative kid to stand out.
  12. Variety
    Reviewed by: Ronnie Scheib
    50
    As fascinating as it is frustrating.
  13. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    38
    Arlyck spends more time following himself and his own lefty family than checking up on Sean.

User Reviews

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User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. RaviR.
    10
    I know we tend to rate most highly those movies we've seen most recently, but I cannot recommend _Following Sean_ too highly. Engaging, funny, brilliant, simultaneously comforting and uncomfortable, and observant, the movie asks us to confront our own lives' narratives; received wisdom about the 1960s and even more recent American history; the meaning of adulthood, and a thousand other things. It made me think in a way films rarely can -- the way books more often can -- but couldn't possibly give me a headache. And as for technical elements, the editing and narration are perfect, and the granular texture of the film itself complements that of the families' stories. I actually loved _Following Sean_, and came upon this site while looking for information about whether it will ever be released as a DVD. I rarely buy movies, but I'll buy this one.… Full Review »
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