The Square
Participant Media | Release Date: October 25, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
84
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottFeb 14, 2014
Not only is it a searing on-the-ground, in-the-fray portrait of the heart of Egypt's ongoing revolution, but it is also a stirring tribute to the indomitable spirit of those who are risking, and in many cases giving, their lives to keep it alive. Read full review
100
Washington PostAnn HornadayJan 16, 2014
In this vibrant, lyrical, graphic, sobering and finally soaring testament to aesthetic and political expression, Noujaim consistently provides light where once there was heat. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranOct 31, 2013
The Square bears witness to history in an articulate, thoughtful and intensely dramatic way. Read full review
100
The New York TimesA.O. ScottOct 24, 2013
Even though The Square depicts widely covered recent events, it still feels like a revelation. This is partly because of the immediacy of Ms. Noujaim’s approach, which often puts the viewer in the midst of chaos as it unfolds. Read full review
91
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerNov 1, 2013
By the film’s end, the main protagonists have become more philosophical, if no less ardent, about the future of Egypt. “We are not looking for a leader,” Hassan declares. “We are looking for a conscience.” He has only to look in the mirror. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterJames GreenbergSep 25, 2013
A riveting firsthand account of the Egyptian revolution presented with remarkable immediacy and filmmaking skill. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeTy BurrJan 16, 2014
An electrifying, at times heartbreaking documentary from the Egyptian-born, Harvard-educated documentarian Jehane Noujaim (“Control Room”). Read full review
80
The TelegraphTim RobeyJan 9, 2014
It seethes with frustration on its subjects’ behalf – that for all the impact their stand has had, they still face a many-headed hydra on the road to real democracy. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternOct 31, 2013
The Square stands as a valuable document of a tormented time, an anatomy of a revolutionary movement doomed by a paucity of viable institutions, and by the movement's failure to advance a coherent agenda. (It's all the more heartbreaking when a speaker at one of the protests cries fervently, "We will fill the world with poetry.") Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanOct 25, 2013
The historically essential document they’ve created here pulses with an immediacy that will leave you simultaneously enlightened and stunned. Read full review
80
Village VoiceMichelle OrangeOct 22, 2013
[A] powerful, exacting depiction of Egypt's struggle for meaningful change. Read full review
80
Time OutDavid FearOct 22, 2013
The Square offers more than just pictures of a revolution; it lets you into the mind-set of those fighting for their future, and that makes all the difference. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinOct 21, 2013
The Square is inner-world-shaking. Read full review
80
VarietyJohn AndersonSep 25, 2013
The Square is journalism, but Noujaim’s agenda is greater than mere reportage. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Simon HouptJan 16, 2014
In the end, Ahmed claims a kind of victory, noting that open dissent and public protest has become embedded in the culture, even if Egyptians have not yet found a leader to unite them all. Something has begun, he says. Its real meaning is not yet clear. Read full review
75
The PlaylistDiana DrummNov 13, 2013
The Square gives us the context of Egyptian uprisings, full of heart and hope, but the crux of the Revolution remains muddy. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireOct 25, 2013
The result shows the human stakes and often punishing difficulties of challenging entrenched powers and interests. Read full review
75
NPRMark JenkinsOct 25, 2013
The director recut the movie several times as events overtook it. She may yet do so again — although if more major changes occur, they could merit beginning another documentary. As The Square makes clear, Noujaim would not hesitate to rush back into the fray. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloOct 23, 2013
There’s a sense in which The Square feels incomplete, like the first part of a much longer effort. It’s hard to blame Noujaim for presenting it to the public now, but the decision to do so is primarily political, not artistic. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineNick SchagerSep 25, 2013
A blistering portrait of rebellion against social discord, marginalization and oppression, and a call to arms for true democratic ideals of dignity, justice, and fairness. Read full review
70
The DissolveTasha RobinsonOct 23, 2013
It catches, in the most authentic and democratic way possible, a collection of people who’ve developed a strong taste for revolution, but are still trying to figure out what to do with it. Read full review
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