67
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 78Austin ChronicleAustin ChronicleThat is what this film documents: racism, homophobia, misogyny, and exploitation of the working class. God bless Texas.
- 75RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyRogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleySouthwest of Salem has an investigative questioning bent, but it is always clear in its attitudes about the four co-defendants. It is a powerful act of advocacy. It's hard to look at these events in any light other than that a terrible miscarriage of justice has taken place.
- 70Village VoiceAbbey BenderVillage VoiceAbbey BenderThe perfect storm of homophobia, racism, and moral panic that sent the San Antonio four to prison is almost too much to cover in a ninety-minute documentary, but Esquenazi paints a tragic and humane portrait of the women who ended up in its center.
- 70VarietyNick SchagerVarietyNick Schager"Southwest of Salem” proves a portrait of individual tragedy, and an indictment of a system willing to let prejudice cloud its judgment — and, also, to avoid admitting its own wrongdoing.
- 70Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbeleThough its chronological organization and issue management is rough around the edges, Esquenazi’s passionately argued film...easily convinces that the charges are impossible to believe.
- 60The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen Kenigsberg"Southwest of Salem” proceeds with what have become sobering tropes for true-crime documentaries: a defendant saying she didn’t realize she needed a lawyer; outsiders explaining how they grew convinced of a miscarriage of justice.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeIf it leaves something to be desired at the start of the tale, the procedural details of seeking release and exoneration are well represented.