Advanced Search Beta »
Basic Search Fields
The Song of Sparrows
Metascore
74 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
view
per page
  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Curiel
    100
    Sparrows is a kind of cinematic fable. At times funny, sad, poignant and suspenseful, Sparrows is a showcase for Majidi's masterful storytelling - and Naji's superb acting.
  2. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    88
    Naji is an expressive actor, and so are the wonderful young non-pros who play his children.
  3. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    80
    This latest film from Iranian director Majid Majidi has the same combination of quiet contemplation, whimsy and tragedy that made his "Children of Heaven" an international smash a decade ago.
  4. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    80
    Although The Song of Sparrows has some of the trappings of a naturalistic drama, it is really a series of strict moral lessons pieced together into an austere Islamic sermon.
  5. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    75
    As usual with Majidi, the cinematography is super (best scene shows Karim, disguised as an ostrich, in pursuit of an escaped bird) and the acting is realistic and low-key.
  6. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    75
    This sparrow's flight lifts the heart.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Tasha Robinson
    75
    It's easier to find enjoyment in Sparrows on a moment-by-moment basis than to swallow its message whole, but that method squares just fine with Majidi's aesthetic, in which tiny, quiet joys are the best kind.
  8. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Deborah Young
    70
    Low-key, realistic performances from a mostly nonpro cast keep the story running smoothly. His face visibly stressed-out and hardened from loneliness as he detaches himself from family and friends, Naji gives the film a strong center.
  9. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Nicolas Rapold
    70
    The film is pleasingly meandering, till the more typically Majidian soulful and teary-eyed climax.
  10. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Betsy Sharkey
    70
    I can't help but be struck by the stark cultural differences in the portrayal of family life, particularly the relationships between women and men. The characters Majidi draws of children and their fathers are rich: sometimes combative, always loving and textured. But the mothers never truly emerge from the background.
  11. Variety
    Reviewed by: Alissa Simon
    70
    Beautifully crafted, often sentimental, sometimes humorous.
  12. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    70
    The Song of Sparrows becomes a parable of corruption, catastrophe and eventual redemption. Mr. Majidi's tale wasn't meant to be timely, of course, but the shoe fits, and the film wears it well.
  13. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Dan Zak
    70
    At times tedious but ultimately beguiling, Song of Sparrows morphs from a sly dramedy about running a household into a fable about two ways of life (urban and rural) that can't coexist.
  14. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    63
    The images in The Song of Sparrows have a poetic grace that's to be desired in storytelling. You feel Majidi's hand much more than you do God's.
prev next
Page:
  • 1