Critic Reviews
66
Metascore
Generally Favorable
positive
16(80%)
mixed
4(20%)
negative
0(0%)
Showing 20 Critic Reviews
80
Managing to be at once epic and intimate, Zelary matches a resilient urban woman against a compassionate rural man in the spectacular Moravian countryside during World War II. Results rep a triumph of regional filmmaking, but in the David Lean tradition.
80
It has a familiar, lived-in feel, and if its observations of rural life at a time of political turmoil don't feel terribly original, they are nonetheless absorbing and sometimes powerful.
80
It's a convincing romantic drama, written, directed and acted with so much skill it's able to break loose from its conventional moorings and become more effective, more moving than we anticipated.
80
This vivid exploration of the human animal creates a romantic alchemy that's raw, unsettling, and touching.
78
By the time it's over you find yourself wondering why more films don't have the chutzpah to delve deeper into the battle-weary heart.
75
Well acted, handsomely photographed, a bit too long.
75
Zelary succeeds as moving indictment of war.
75
A well-deserved 2003 Oscar nominee for best foreign-language film.
75
There is a heart-warming familiarity to much of its 2 1/2-hour tale, but the surprises around its edges gives Zelary a refreshing perspective.
75
The story is as basic as a peasant meal - and just as hearty.
