74
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Los Angeles TimesKevin CrustLos Angeles TimesKevin CrustFather Soldier Son is a demanding film, a sometimes brutal story told with immense empathy. There is sorrow and joy; success and failure; marriage, birth and death. The Eisches are a tough crew, absorbing the challenges and even tragedy with a fragile resilience.
- 88Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreFather Soldier Son can be compared to the controversial Vietnam era doc “Hearts and Minds,” as well as the sober WWII’s aftermath “The Best Years of Our Lives,”in its focus, its intimacy and its politics.
- 80Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternIt’s research of a profoundly affecting kind — a study of love and devotion, and the toll taken by machine-gun bullets on a body, a gallant spirit and a family.
- 75RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.comDirectors Leslye Davis and Catrin Einhorn present the film in an intimate, unobtrusive, understated style. They have the luxury of time so everyone on screen is completely relaxed and open, seemingly forgetting the cameras are there. Spending years with the family gives the story additional scope and depth.
- 72TheWrapSteve PondTheWrapSteve PondWhat is says is sobering and at times disturbing, which gives the film a quiet power even if it’s at times frustrating.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe result is a deeply intimate and revealing family portrait that proves admirable in its objectivity if occasionally frustrating in its sprawling sketchiness.
- Like life, it sometimes skips years, only to land on an evening that feels like an epoch.
- 70Its easygoing structure may also be what makes it feel so intimate. Davis and Einhorn — both of whom are New York Times reporters — don’t have to spell out codes of masculinity, familial duty and love for one’s country. Instead, we’re allowed to bear witness as Eisch and his family show us what those values mean to them.
- 60The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeIt’s an intimate portrait that at times borders on meandering but it remains free of judgment throughout, with Einhorn and Davis using their background as journalists to let the story happen without coercion or commentary.