Critic Reviews

The film does a good job of dragging us from the darkest valleys of tragedy towards the gently sunlit uplands.

True, grief is universal – but To Olivia never embraces the fact that stories draw their power from specificity. It’s what makes them feel real.

A well-intentioned biopic about a little-discussed but pivotal moment for both artists. If it’s never transcendent, it at least offers charming child performances, and Hawes is a particularly good fit as Neal.

How parents mourn a child’s death together — or apart — is among life’s aching mysteries. The director John Hay plumbs the poignancy well but avoids any tussling with Dahl’s legacy, tarnished by antisemitic statements.

As a straight-up redemptive sob story with no other purpose, it cooks the books.

This film comes to life in the two scenes when its hushed note of kindly reverence is broken.