Lost Boys of Sudan
Metascore
78 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    83
    Yearns to be optimistic (juxtaposed with the disaster of Sudan, it certainly has the right to be), yet that only ends up underscoring its ache of sadness.
  2. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    100
    A riveting movie.
  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    70
    This excellent film, which is both uplifting and troubling, also makes crystal clear what Peter gradually gives up in order to fit in as best he can: His culture.
  4. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    75
    The plain, reportorial style of Lost Boys -- which simply records its subjects in various settings and situations -- results in a film that doesn't preach, doesn't politicize.
  5. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    80
    Getting an audience so caught up is no small feat; it is a tribute to the directors' storytelling.
  6. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    75
    Mylan and Shenk provide an engrossing look at these bright, clean-cut young men and the obstacles they faced in "the land of plenty." In doing so, the filmmakers also reveal a lot about the American character.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    80
    The film offers a rare and fascinating firsthand look at two sides of the modern immigrant experience.
  8. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    70
    A touching documentary on the immigrant experience -- or at least one very tough slice of it.
  9. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    80
    Without the intrusion of voice-overs or interviews, Mylan and Shenk attained a remarkable intimacy with the strapping, earnest, startlingly beautiful teenagers.
  10. Variety
    Reviewed by: Dennis Harvey
    80
    A potent, engrossing look at several young refugees from Sudan's disastrous, endless civil war who've been relocated to the U.S.
  11. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    70
    A pretty good documentary about a great subject.
  12. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ernest Hardy
    80
    The filmmakers deftly capture the boys' depression and triumphs, but something of the American character -- the generosity and the arrogance -- as well.
  13. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    70
    Too short by half, Lost Boys of Sudan affords frustratingly little by way of real analysis and history. But it does introduce us to two extraordinary young men whose faith in this country is almost as unbearably sad as their stories.
  14. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Curiel
    100
    From the standpoint of humanizing Sudan's continuing refugee problem, Lost Boys is a gem. It doesn't preach. It doesn't prettify.
  15. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Allison Benedikt
    88
    The message of this movie could not be any clearer: America is no heaven on earth.
  16. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Karen Karbo
    83
    In the rather weak ending, we aren't sure what will become of Peter and Santino.
  17. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Melissa Levine
    80
    This is a beautiful, important film, and you should see it.
  18. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Andrea Gronvall
    70
    Moving documentary.

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