78
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe filmmaker, Theo Love, presents the people in the story as they are, without passing judgment and without apology, whether they are investigators or pastors or just ordinary folks caught up in the inexplicable. It’s Americana unvarnished and, because of that, as absorbing as it is respectful.
- 90Los Angeles TimesMartin TsaiLos Angeles TimesMartin TsaiThe film's exploration of the tenuous bonds within a community will surely prompt serious soul-searching.
- 83The PlaylistKevin JagernauthThe PlaylistKevin JagernauthA fascinating story told with deep insight, Little Hope Was Arson finds that both fire and forgiveness burn in different ways.
- 80Village VoiceSam WeisbergVillage VoiceSam WeisbergTheo Love's mesmerizing documentary Little Hope Was Arson is as evenhanded as it is unsettling.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyWhile the crimes were appalling, one leaves Little Hope Was Arson less concerned with them — especially as all the churches have since been rebuilt — than with larger questions of forgiveness.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweThe Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweThe film is attractively and professionally packaged however, with accomplished camerawork and editing supporting a narrative that eventually seems to reveal more smoke than fire.