★★★★★
Claire Denis's marvellous latest feature -
read the full reviewWally Hammond Time OutIs this summer 2009's best film?
Time Out★★★★
A miraculous family drama.
This outstanding new film from Claire Denis demonstrates her fluency and mastery in the kind of movie-language that is rich, quietly complex and subtle...
Descas and Diop give lovely performances and their final scene together is tremendously moving.
A film to be savoured.
Peter Bradshaw The Guardian -
read the full review★★★★
The magic of Claire Denis’ exquisite 35 Shots of Rum is that although so much is left unsaid, it’s one of the most emotionally eloquent films you’ll see this year...A richly textured meditation on family, friendship, love and loss.
Wendy Ide The Times★★★★★
A profound, discreet, hugely touching work that resonates in the memory
David Gritten The Daily Telegraph -
read the full review'We are constantly held by this quiet, subtle, elliptical film that observes its characters' moods and their shifting relationships with the same uncloying love and concern the characters show towards each other'
Philip French The Observer'Warm, tender and handsome portrait of a father-daughter relationship...rich and rewarding...One of those delightful films in which not a lot has to happen because you're just happy to be in its company. This French drama touches lightly on many subjects and looks gorgeous throughout'
Guardian Guide'Every shot is so sensuously vivid that you know you're dealing with a film-maker of intense vision and stylistic subtlety...35 Shots of Rum is as heady as the title suggests, quietly crackling with intimacy and intensity'
Jonathan Romney
The Independent on Sunday -
read the full review '...Claire Denis, the French director with an almost unequalled human touch.'
If you are looking for a neat distillation of the genius of the director Claire Denis, look no further than her latest film, the exquisitely understated 35 Shots of Rum.'
'There are few directors working with Denis's skill in capturing the ebb and flow and the unspoken undercurrents of human interaction.'
Wendy Ide, The Times, 2/7/09
'...mesmeric...'
Kira Cochrane, The Guardian '...a tender portrait of father-daughter relationship in Paris, which is set to be one of the (quiet) hits of the summer.'
'...poetic, sometimes mysterious, but always warm and enthralling portrait of a father and his young daughter...'
'...a quiet and touching film...which deserves to be seen and heard amid the metallic noise of this summer's blockbuster season.'
'...a film which many agreed was one of the best at last year's Venice Film Festival.'
Dave Calhoun, Time Out★★★★★
Marvellous...a beautiful family drama...a film od warm, subtle power, remarkable for its delicate handling of its quiet moments of joy
Jason Solomons The Independent on Sunday★★★★
The warmest, most humane flm so far by director Claire Denis
Laurence Phelan Independent Information
'With her new feature 35 Shots of Rum, broadly a family drama, Denis has made arguably her most accessible film to date...'
'Agnes Godard's cinematography is as beguiling, as haunting as ever...'
'...Denis and Godard have perfected a heightened, multisensory cinema...and very few directors are this preternaturally attuned to the lineaments, the rhythms of desire. Beau travail indeed.'
Kieron Corless, Sight & Sound★★★★
'...a slow-burning pleasure...'
'one of the finest pieces of ensemble acting I have seen in a long time.'
Wendy Ide , The Timesread the full review ★★★★
'... exquisite domestic drama...(with) a quiet confidence to match its acuity and compassion.
David Parkinson, Empire ★★★★
'A wonderful film'
Tom Dawson, TOTAL FILM★★★★
This is the work of a cinematic master...warm engaging and utterly beguiling
Allan Hunter The Daily Express '...stands comfortably alongside Beau Travail as one of Denis' greatest achievements...'
'...mesmeric,... Descas is also by turns fragile and resolute.'
Jason Woods, LITTLE WHITE LIES 'This tender film is infused with honesty and humanity.'
Michael Dwyer, IRISH TIMES 'French arthouse cinema at its best'
Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter 'One of the greatest living French directors turns her jeweller's eye to a tender father-daughter bond.'
'Breathtaking in its simplicity, sensitivity and insight...this softly stirring human drama permits Claire Denis to display her master of atmosphere and communication to wholly satisfying effect.'
Edinburgh International Film Festival, 2009 'The warmth radiating from 35 Shots of Rum, (is) smoother than the finest liquor...a flawless package...marvellously profound.'
'...reminds viewers how rarely movies capture the easygoing love embodied in a functional family, with all its support and tenderness.'
'...moving work...'
'Denis has perfected her crew family, crafting a flawless package.'
Jay Weissberg , Variety