A Thousand Years of Good Prayers 2007

Joshua Katzman, Chicago Reader: As in most of Wang's films, a memorable cast of characters compensates for a serviceable plot. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: Wang seems to be trying for the reflective silence and emotionally fraught familial relationships of a Yasujiro Ozu film, but his characters are too underdeveloped to support the weight of such expectations. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: A Thousand Years of Good Prayers feels like a fragile wafer of a movie, but it fills you like a three-course meal. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Rich in revealing detail and apt in its use of everyday Spokane settings, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers shows that Wang remains a master explorer of the landscape of the human heart. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: A spare, controlled study in communication gaps and a piercing sketch of suburban American loneliness. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: There's a gentle beauty in these long, anguished silences, and Wang and his actors make the most of it. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: Wang's direction is nuanced, and while A Thousand Years of Good Prayers isn't his best work, it is light years ahead of his Hollywood output. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: A keenly observed portrait of a parent and child estranged by geography, language, ideology and generation. In other words, a universal story of family in the age of globalization. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: An intensely observed, small-scale family drama involving disagreement between generations. Read more

Reyhan Harmanci, San Francisco Chronicle: This modest and lovely film is a welcome reprieve after the explosion-filled slate of summer movies. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Wang's approach is measured and restrained, his shots simple and immaculate, the emotional stakes deepening scene by scene. It's a miniature gem. Read more

Joshua Land, Time Out: Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: A quiet work with Ozu-like structure and concerns, but remains more an intellectual exercise than one from the heart. Read more

Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: There's nothing earth-shattering going on here, but it's a film you'll want to befriend. Read more

Neely Tucker, Washington Post: A Thousand Years is imbued with these melancholy images, but it may leave you longing for a story to make you care. Read more