| 100 |
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
An excellent introduction to the singular vision of avant-garde stage director Robert Wilson.
|
| 80 |
Village Voice
John Pritcher
The real value of this film is its treasure trove of archival footage, rare clips that document this genius of an artist as a young man.
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| 80 |
Los Angeles Times
Carina Chocano
Impressive as is Wilson's output and oeuvre, it's the fully-engaged, aesthetically driven life that fascinates. And Otto-Bernstein's movie is a portrait of an artist at his most essential, in every sense.
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| 75 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Bill White
Katharina Otto-Bernstein's oral history of Wilson's life and work, narrated by Wilson, with a handful of sycophants joining in on the choruses, is monstrously one-sided. It does, however, offer insights into the director's methods and motivations.
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| 75 |
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Surprisingly square portrait of avant-garde artist and director Robert Wilson.
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| 75 |
Chicago Tribune
Chris Jones
Not only does this film offer a comprehensive portrait of a fascinating and underexplored leader of the American avant-garde in the late 20th Century, it ends up making some compelling connections between his works and the rich, occasionally self-destructive trajectory of the life that forged them.
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| 70 |
Variety
Eddie Cockrell
A surprisingly conventional portrait of a decidedly unconventional man.
|
| 70 |
The New York Times
A.O. Scott
There is plenty of substance in Absolute Wilson, as it provides a concise and absorbing portrait of a powerful creative personality.
|
| 70 |
The Hollywood Reporter
Kirk Honeycutt
The film penetrates the myth and mythos surrounding Wilson, making his works more accessible and open to those of us who sometimes puzzle over the methods and meanings in his cerebral, psychologically complex expressionism. The film should engender an art house following in sophisticated urban venues before its HBO broadcast.
|
| 70 |
The New Republic
Stanley Kauffmann
This film is a valuable signet of Wilson's carefully articulated independence.
|
| 63 |
TV Guide
Ken Fox
The result is a rather conventional, Biography Channel-style portrait of a man who helped change the face of theater in the last quarter of the 20th century.
|
| 63 |
Boston Globe
Louise Kennedy
Absolute Wilson may not be original, but Wilson absolutely is. And for the glimmers of that originality that shine through here, the film is worth watching.
|
| 60 |
LA Weekly
Steve Mikulan
Wilson is articulate and ironic, and Otto-Bernstein mostly shields us from his tantrums and critics.
|
| 60 |
Salon.com
Andrew O'Hehir
Absolute Wilson changed my views of Wilson as a person tremendously, and at least gave me some useful context for his art.
|
| 50 |
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
Befuddling.
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| 50 |
Washington Post
Peter Marks
Although the film shows many photographs and videos of his performances, it never allows a particularly coherent assessment of any of them.
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