80
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100CineVuePatrick GambleCineVuePatrick GambleAn exercise in assigning valuable historical context to scenes of brutality, Concerning Violence is a lesson in understanding a continuing colonial condition, the roots and complexities of which are often concealed and simplified by news coverage of poverty and conflict.
- 100Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlA commanding indictment of the exploitative nature of geopolitics, and of Europe's and the U.S.'s abuse of native peoples around the world.
- 91The PlaylistKevin JagernauthThe PlaylistKevin JagernauthNot only a searing look at Europe's painful involvement in participating, encouraging and backing regimes of oppression, Concerning Violence makes it clear that not much has changed in the fifty years since Fanon's powerful words were first printed.
- In other words, Concerning Violence isn’t out to soothe its audience with platitudes about peace, love, and understanding. Its exploration of an entrenched system that breeds generations of oppression and violence is extremely upsetting yet still highly rewarding.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijIt's a tough and cerebral but finally illuminating film.
- 80Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfOlsson requires us to connect the dots to today's struggles (a missed opportunity), but his discoveries are more than sufficient.
- 80EmpireDavid ParkinsonEmpireDavid ParkinsonA powerful and provoking take on a violent and volatile era.
- 75Slant MagazineKenji FujishimaSlant MagazineKenji FujishimaHere is a film that isn't afraid to risk didacticism in order to put across its vision of the debilitating physical and psychological effects of colonialism.
- 70The New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe energy here feels more like that of a lecture than of a film; it’s an analytical tonic that’s potent to the point of bitter.
- 38RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.comOn both levels of the film, the archival and the textual, there’s much that’s fascinating and worthwhile. What’s regrettable is the refusal to contextualize and explore the ongoing ramifications of what we see and hear.