Women Without Men
Metascore
68 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    83
    Stronger on beautiful imagery than on narrative flow.
  2. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Richard Nilsen
    80
    It seduces us with imagery and metaphor.
  3. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ernest Hardy
    80
    Neshat employs dialogue that is often didactic, but that weakness is forgiven in the face of stellar acting from the ensemble and gorgeously composed and shot images.
  4. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Gary Goldstein
    80
    Though the narrative could use more depth and detail, the film generally absorbs with its strong performances, stirring emotions and vivid imagery.
  5. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    80
    With its intense chiaroscuro and meticulous manipulation of color that ranges from stark black and white to richer, shifting hues in scenes set in a metaphorical orchard, the film surpasses even Michael Haneke's "White Ribbon" in the fierce beauty and precision of its cinematography (by Martin Gschlacht).
  6. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    75
    Shirin Neshat's film, a magical-realist cry from the heart, is as up-to-date as last year's pro-democracy protests.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Noel Murray
    75
    The movie moves fluidly back and forth between these women's stories, as well as between reality and a kind of dream-state, as all four find their way into a walled orchard where they share fellowship and temporary refuge from the demands of men.
  8. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Stephen Farber
    70
    This beautifully made film (which won the best director award at last year's Venice Film Festival) is the very definition of an art house movie with limited appeal, but its political import gives it added talking points that will draw attention.
  9. Boxoffice Magazine
    Reviewed by: Wade Major
    70
    A powerful and provocative look at the seismology of the Iranian social order and the connective tissue that sustains Iranian women in particular.
  10. Variety
    Reviewed by: Jay Weissberg
    70
    Has striking moments comparable to the best of Neshat's potent imagery. But the script jettisons most of the book's more powerful sections.
  11. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Fred Camper
    70
    Shirin Neshat, best known for her video installations, makes her feature directing debut with this elegant, often moving story of four Iranian women trapped by their circumstances in the turmoil preceding the 1953 coup.
  12. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    67
    The images are vivid, their meanings much less so.
  13. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Walter Addiego
    50
    Has compelling stretches, but the film's formal concerns overwhelm the storytelling.
  14. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    50
    Although the entire film is beautifully framed and shot, especially the surreal sequences, precious little coheres into anything resembling a compelling narrative.
  15. New Orleans Times-Picayune
    Reviewed by: Mike Scott
    50
    Unfortunately, on the way to delivering that message, it becomes weighted down by its own dreary self-importance.
  16. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rothkopf
    40
    An eerie resurrection regains some good will, but we'll have to wait for Neshat to catch up with the art of storytelling.

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