Critic Reviews

Riveting without ever feeling sensationalized and moving without being saccharine, Middletown is a captivating tale that combines elements of true crime and coming-of-age stories and proves, once again, that Moss and McBaine are two of the most talented documentarians working today.

The film’s strength is its plainness and melancholy, as it sketches the history of a marriage – ardent, in times gone by, and still movingly dedicated.

A moving and surprisingly nuanced drama offering far more than flag-waving nostalgia. Superb performances from Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson ensure the latter’s final screen role is fittingly dignified.

Well, Caine and Jackson and their ineffable class give this film some real grit: it’s a wonderful last hurrah for Jackson and there is something moving and even awe-inspiring in seeing these two British icons together.

It could have a lot of sentimental mush, but with Jackson and Caine on this form, it’s a total heartbreaker.

Jackson and Caine wear their years proudly; there’s no vanity in their performance or their appearance. The couple’s eventual reunion is deep and real and, like their whole relationship, gorgeously ordinary.

The film is a slight but sweet ode to a particular flavour of Britannia that will leave its target audience in sentimental shambles.

A compelling piece of straightforward true-crime that makes the most of its throwback form.

If earlier segments of Middletown suggest that we’re building to something revelatory, the latter half feels a bit like a train that chugs on aimlessly after passing its destination. It’s a pleasant ride. It just lacks a little edge.

It’s inspiring to watch. Isseks provided the tools and the idea, but the students took the cause to new heights, a symptom of their strong feelings about the governmental negligence occurring in their backyards.