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War Dance
User Score
8.8 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6

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  1. NicoleT.
    Apr 4, 2008
    10
    This is one of the most amazing films I've seen. I am appalled at the things happening in Uganda. Beautiful children.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. JimR.
    Nov 20, 2007
    8
    Turan has it right. Emotional and spirit-lifting. It's not manipulative to have people tell stories of things that have happened to them. You will be increased by seeing this.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. J.B.
    Mar 6, 2008
    9
    Honest, compelling story of how the human spirit can persevere and overcome even the most horrendous events imaginable. Exceptionally beautiful and buoyant without minimizing the tragedy. Can fill a viewer with great respect, admiration and love for these children.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. ChadS.
    Apr 17, 2008
    8
    Nancy is Ugandian. Her mother, too. The filmmakers are from the west. The two African women want to please their new "friends". Neither woman, nor child, understands that they have the right to stop the cameras from rolling, when grief overcomes them, in a place where no documentary film crew has the right to be, arguably. This depends on the circumstances behind the mother and daughter's return to the site of their slain loved one. Was it an organic move, or were the two women prompted to revisit the past for dramatic purposes? We're likely to believe the latter, because "War Dance", at times, feels staged, feels a little off. In their own words, the principal Ugandian victims tell their respective stories, while the camera seems to be exploring the commercial possibilities of a narrative film, as we get lovely close-ups of the African flora. "War Dance" overreaches with its poetic aspirations. It's too clever, by half. The camerawork suggests a walking tour into the heart of darkness. A subtle nod to the Joseph Conrad novel, perhaps, this literary reference is ironic because the oppressor have the same skin color as the oppressed. Despite the filmmaker's Terrence Malick-complex, despite the need to pump up the volume on the self-evident tragedy-of-it-all, there is the music and dance festival, which is the most thrilling spectacle of the human spirit you'll see all year. Unless you're dead, their performance will move you to tears.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 20
  3. Negative: 1 out of 20
  1. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    70
    For these kids to sing and dance with all their hearts, they need to go to a place in themselves that should be closed down forever. The glories of War/Dance are torturously won, and all the more glorious for it.
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  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Justin Lowe
    70
    A refreshingly upbeat film that finds its roots in some seriously sobering events.
  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    40
    While the pic may be targeting Westerners who want to feel less awful about genocide and global negligence, it's hard to imagine War Dance appealing to that crowd -- or any other.
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