60
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The Film StageThe Film StageElmer Bäck’s performance as Eisenstein is exceptional, his manic energy somehow able to match that of the film’s visuals and achieving a synergy of exuberance.
- 80VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeGreenaway has wrought an outrageously unconventional and deliriously profane biopic that could take decades to be duly appreciated.
- 75Slant MagazineCarson LundSlant MagazineCarson LundWhat comes through clearly by the end of the film is the act of one artist's eccentric generosity breathing new awareness into the life of another.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijGreenaway’s habitual approach is perfect for this material, constantly externalizing the director’s ideas about Eisenstein’s life and work and the way the two are connected in a way that speaks directly -- often quite literally -- to the audience.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenBeyond the arty trappings and flamboyant showmanship that are typical of Mr. Greenaway, 73, Eisenstein in Guanajuato is a brazen provocation.
- 63New York PostFarran Smith NehmeNew York PostFarran Smith NehmeThe film has all the incessant showiness that can make Greenaway irksome: split screens, CGI, deliberately alienating performances. But the man loves a beautiful shot and a witty line; those are the things that carry the film.
- 60Village VoiceAaron HillisVillage VoiceAaron HillisRigorous and outrageous, Greenaway's defiant approach to narrative only offers insight into his character, not Eisenstein's.
- 50The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyPhotos, clips from Eisenstein’s own films and from newsreels, and the director’s erotic drawings are spliced in or sometimes projected over the background, but the overloaded visual plane only underlines the fact that Eisenstein In Guanajuato never moves anywhere; eventually, it becomes stultifying. It’s a movie jumping in place.
- 50Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenLos Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenGreenaway's boundary-pushing, breathlessly in-your-face approach begins to take its toll on viewer patience.
- 40Screen DailyLee MarshallScreen DailyLee MarshallSure, there’s a strong element of arch playfulness in the exercise, but that doesn’t make the end result any less tiresome. In Eisenstein In Guanajuato, Greenaway is good at making us look, but not at making us care.