Otelo Burning
Otelo Burning Image
Metascore
60 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critics What's this?

User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Be the first to review!

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • Summary: The film tells the story of a group of township kids who discover the joy of surfing. It's set in 1989, against a backdrop of brewing conflict between two political groups in Lamontville. When 16-year-old Otelo Buthelezi takes to the water for the first time, it's clear that he was born to surf. But then tragedy strikes. On the day that Nelson Mandela is released from prison, Otelo is forced to choose between surfing success and justice. The film captures a turbulent time in the history of South Africa.… Collapse

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Neil Genzlinger
    Nov 26, 2012
    90
    Ms. Blecher draws fine performances out of the young actors and, to her credit, sugarcoats nothing.
  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: John DeFore
    Dec 2, 2012
    70
    A cast of young actors is uniformly strong, as is Lance Gewer's photography.
  3. NPR
    Reviewed by: Joel Arnold
    Nov 29, 2012
    60
    The film presents a stark choice: seek escape in vengeance and blame, or gamble on the freedom gained by embracing a new world, however scarred it may be.
  4. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Glenn Heath Jr.
    Nov 26, 2012
    25
    The film grows increasingly tiresome the more it flirts with melodrama, unraveling themes of jealousy, regret, and ambition in broad strokes.

See all 7 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review

Current Movie Releases

Full List »
  1. Star Trek Into Darkness
    Metascore: 72
  2. Iron Man 3
    Metascore: 62
  3. 42
    Metascore: 62
  4. Evil Dead (2013)
    Metascore: 57
  5. Oblivion
    Metascore: 54
  6. The Great Gatsby
    Metascore: 54
  7. Pain & Gain
    Metascore: 43
  8. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
    Metascore: 41
  9. The Host
    Metascore: 35
  10. The Hangover Part III
    Metascore: 32
  11. The Big Wedding
    Metascore: 29
  12. Tyler Perry's Temptation
    Metascore: 27
  13. Scary Movie 5
    Metascore: 11
All Current Movies »