74
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90VarietyScott FoundasVarietyScott FoundasA tightly focused romantic drama that exudes the narrative terseness of a good short story and the lucid craftsmanship of a filmmaker in full command of the medium.
- 90Village VoiceMelissa AndersonVillage VoiceMelissa AndersonIn so shrewdly exploring the illusions — namely (self-) deception — required to keep a dyad functioning, Garrel shows just how much we all remain, consciously or not, in the dark.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijInitially somewhat wispy-feeling, this 72-minute feature transforms in its final reel from an ironic divertissement to a work of considerable feeling and intensity.
- 80Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfEven as the trio heads into a complicated dance of multiple infidelities, In the Shadow of Women never villainizes any of them.
- 75Slant MagazineJake ColeSlant MagazineJake ColePhilippe Garrel's film uses its characters' stodgy, formal language to betray their self-consciousness.
- 75New York PostFarran Smith NehmeNew York PostFarran Smith NehmeGarrel’s ideas on both are pretty old-fashioned. But he wraps it up with a pleasurable O. Henry-like twist, and a moment of what feels suspiciously like true love.
- 75The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyShot on black-and-white film that has the luster of hard coal, In The Shadow Of Women is often quite beautiful—and it has some jokes, too.
- 70The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottMr. Garrel is always worth attending to when he takes up the rhythms and paradoxes of love, and even though this is a minor entry in his canon of melancholy romances, it is brief, brisk and intermittently affecting.
- 60The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawGarrel struggles to unearth anything new. The mechanics of the relationships on show fail to lead anywhere unexpected while the dialogue is often flat and on-the-nose.