Tulpan
User Score
6.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 28
  3. Negative: 9 out of 28

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  1. Atlanta
    Jul 7, 2009
    3
    Interesting documentary slice of life on the steppe. Shouldn't be viewed as entertainment. The same story & cinematography set most anywhere else would be deemed sophomoric.
  2. D.H.
    May 14, 2009
    3
    Yes, it was interesting to see this other way of life. As a film, though, it was just terribly overrated. The singing got to be a bit much; I had to plug my ears at points because it actually hurt, it was so shrill.
  3. JohnM.
    May 19, 2009
    2
    Please save your money for a more deserving independent film - Tulpan is an absolute waste of time. High-minded reviewers fall in love with anything different, but "different" doesn't always mean "good." Tulpan is not a love story. Not even close. It's a repetitive, boring grind of a film about how much life sucks in Kazakhstan, especially if you are a sheep. You'll get the point quickly and sit around waiting for the story to move... ...it never does. The sad part is that the movie could have been great - but instead of building some kind of narrative, it assumes that you'll be interested in long, shapeless scenes of sheep wandering around randomly in dust storms and a little girl screeching out a loud, tuneless song. If that sounds artistic to you, then by all means, see this movie.… Collapse
  4. ChadS.
    Jun 25, 2009
    2
    Dull and uninteresting. Critics really do love to fawn over this kind of tosh but honestly the average movie going Joe will find this movie hard work. Don't bother, not even on DVD.
  5. johnwbyrd
    Jun 11, 2011
    2
    The message of this movie is: "You think your life is hard, white middle-classed people from Western countries? Well in Kazakhstan we have to give birth to sheep by pulling them out ourselves. Also, there are dust storms. Also, we pop zits on our father's back. All these processes take a long time, are disgusting, and are very boring for everyone around us as well. Also there is love somewhere but really you should concentrate on the sheep."… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    75
    The acting and story are solid, but the real star of Tulpan is the gorgeous, never-ending landscape -- flat and arid, and home to camels, goats and lambs, and hearty people who live in tentlike yurts.
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  2. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    90
    Might be described as an epic landscape film, a sweetly comic coming-of-age story or a lyrical work of social realism. But the setting -- a windswept, sparely populated steppe in southern Kazakhstan -- gives the movie a mood that sometimes feels closer to that of science fiction.
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  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    100
    In every respect, this unclassifiable movie is an amazing accomplishment.
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