Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Onlinewsma Absolutely Brilliant!

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

JohnLeeT An absolutely superb performance by Emily Watson brings life, meaning, and depth to this film and lights up the screen with what may well be some of her very finest work. She amazingly portrays an American in a flawless way that will both delight and stun audiences who are more familiar with her previous roles. While Watson is incredibly funny and lighthearted at times, her soulful eyes help all of us to see clearly the dark, destructive situation that both she and the child she comes to love have found themselves in. This is certainly one of her lesser films but to watch her elevate the entire production to a level that it could not possibly have otherwise achieved is astounding. There appears to be absolutely no limit to Ms. Watson's talent and with each film performance one finds themselves discovering another beautiful treasure beyond price. Despite the limitations of a particular director, writer, or cast members, Watson always shines like a fabulous gemstone and her light illuminates all around her. This is simply more cinematic evidence that Emily Watson is probably the finest English language actor working in any medium today and each year she is denied an Academy Award renders those ridiculous contests more meaninglessly empty. Watson is above such nonsense and her critically acclaimed work speaks for itself.

nycritic Richard E. Grant's life must have been spectacularly insular, because there are hardly any moments when a country's native African population get any valuable screen time. Hell, GONE WITH THE WIND had three supporting characters, all black, sharing equal screen time with the film's white stars (even if this sentence sounds wildly inappropriate, there is really no other way to say it, and anyway, I am right.). In more than one instance, they also practically walked off with the scene they were in, and Butterfly McQueen's line "I ain't no nuthin' 'about birthin' babies!!" has gone into cinema history as one of the most popular quotes of the movie alongside "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." I could even go into my own life living it in Dominican Republic, a country with a seventy-five percent mulatto population. While I went to an American-Canadian school, my life wasn't that insulated to the political unrest that was the order of the day. If I would have to ever write anything about life in the Dominican Republic from 1979 - 1996 I would and could not exclude an entire population in lieu of creating a pretty soap opera about familial divorce... which is exactly what WAH-WAH turns out to be for its entire run. Not that this is a bad thing, but aside from this glaring discrepancy, there isn't much else going for a story that tries to have depth, tries to focus on the fall of an empire, and succeeds in doing neither.

adrian-260 Like all films, if there is a good script and storyline, then the film will work. This film certainly had it all and the cast is outstanding. Just when it seems to be settling down in a particular direction, it changes tack but doesn't loose it's grip on the audience attention. Gabriel Byrne, being the lead role, gave an outstanding performance and did not pull any punches in the many demanding sequences in the film. Nicholas Hoult certainly showed that he can do serious acting and delivered everything that was asked of him. In fact, he excelled himself and, given the chance, he can become a really polished performer, not that he needs much more polish. Julie Walters is another of my personal favourites and, once again, she came up with the goods. This film is in my "Highly recommended" category and will, I think, please nearly everyone. There is fun, sadness and is thought provoking, touching on every single emotion anyone can react to.

lyndachidell Such a pity this film is not being shown on general release but apparently only at "art" cinemas. It is one of the most moving films I have ever seen and will stay with me for many years to come. The entire audience in the theatre where I saw this film sat in stunned silence at the end. Seeing the movie was of particular interest to me because I lived for some years in the country in which the film was shot. Seeing the movie brought back so many memories for me - some of the 'extras' were people I knew during my time there. The story, based on Richard E Grant's childhood experiences in a tiny African Kingdom is brilliantly portrayed by a mixed cast of well known and unknown actors. Well done, REG, for telling your story so well!