69
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The PlaylistCarlos AguilarThe PlaylistCarlos AguilarStrikingly bold in its dramatic construction, and adept at folding the macro issues into the lives of everyday residents of a tumultuous area of the world, “Huda’s Salon” is contained inside an expertly paced plot that seems ready to combust at any second.
- 80The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneIt goes without saying that, like most of Abu-Assad’s films, especially Paradise Now(2005) and Omar(2014), Huda’s Salon is rubbed raw by the politics of the occupied territories; but somehow it doesn’t feel like an issue movie. When Huda is onscreen, played with sublime command by Awad, the story becomes unremittingly about her.
- 75Slant MagazineWes GreeneSlant MagazineWes GreeneFormally, Huda’s Salon is nothing if not effective, sustaining the unrelenting tension of its opening scene for the duration of its runtime.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeThe Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeA tightly conceived political thriller based on real events.
- 70Screen DailyWendy IdeScreen DailyWendy IdeA brisk and efficient thriller ... This combination of moral quandary and ticking clock peril makes for a bracing, if occasionally didactic, political drama.
- 60Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpPaste MagazineAndrew CrumpHuda’s Salon uses strong thread to sew its dual narratives together, but “together” is all they are. They don’t cohere or complement each other save for providing two distinct paths into Abu-Assad’s exploration of Palestinian identity and life, contextualized in women’s experiences as members of a patriarchal society.
- 58IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate Erbland“Huda’s Salon” doesn’t waste a second in its crackling first 10 minutes ... but that rat-a-tat-tat opening eventually gives way to a drama that’s uneasy both due to its subject matter and its weak hold on it.
- 58The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloEither one of these dual narratives might have worked reasonably well on its own, even if Reem’s situation—complete innocent seeks to escape grave danger—is inherently more gripping than Huda’s. Leaping back and forth between them undermines the former’s urgency while underlining the latter’s single-spare-room theatricality.
- 50The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Aparita BhandariThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Aparita BhandariAlthough the film doesn’t fully deliver on the political-thriller element, it asks some powerful questions: How does violence become intimate, blurring the line of morals and ethics?