72
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesDevika GirishThe New York TimesDevika GirishDrawn from Syms’s own experiences as a visual artist, The African Desperate is less an art-school parody as it is a portrait of existential incongruity, where contempt mingles with deep affection.
- 88RogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonRogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonMartine Syms has a singular voice, flowing with creativity. Using her own background as an artist, Syms has taken artistic academia and the whiplash of exiting the comfort of school and churned it into a jungle juice of weed, ketamine, and self-discovery.
- 83The Film StageLeonardo GoiThe Film StageLeonardo GoiThe African Desperate is an electrifying, riveting odyssey, and Stingily—with her deadpan humor and no-nonsense swagger—makes its ending all the more cathartic.
- 83IndieWireSusannah GruderIndieWireSusannah GruderWith its everyday setting and social interactions mixed with an obtrusive, innovative soundtrack (composed by the band Aunt Sister, along with Colin Self and Ben Babbit) and hyperactive visual style, The African Desperate straddles the line between shock and banality.
- 80Film ThreatAlex SavelievFilm ThreatAlex SavelievSyms’ debut is anything but desperate; au contraire, this is the mark of a relaxed, confident filmmaker with a long, bright future.
- 78Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpPaste MagazineAndrew CrumpSyms packs The African Desperate with pleasing ingenuity that facilitates its complex perspective; this is a film that must be sat with to fully appreciate.
- 63Slant MagazineWilliam RepassSlant MagazineWilliam RepassThat The African Desperate is a send-up of art school is beyond doubt, but what’s less clear is just how far the satire goes.
- 40The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawStingily is relaxed and amiable, but in acting terms there may be nothing else there and the film doesn’t develop in any interesting direction.