Dior and I 2015

Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post: The heart of Dior and I is with these seamstresses and cutters, artists in their own right. Read more

Jay Weissberg, Variety: As carefully crafted as the clothes is Tcheng's well-considered direction, privileging the creative process over stereotyped glamour or backstabbing (this is no Ready to Wear). Read more

Keith Uhlich, AV Club: For all the seductive imagery of billowing apparel and impossibly angled high heels, Tcheng never loses sight of the people overseeing every stitch. Read more

Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: [It] adds up to something that won't have much appeal beyond the fashionista crowd. And even they probably would prefer browsing through one of the designer's catalogs than sitting through this glossy bore. Read more

Peter Keough, Boston Globe: Fascinating, suspenseful, illuminating, and ultimately moving. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: A few gauzy montages of black-and-white archival footage glorify the fashion house's founder and namesake, providing a welcome interruption to all the self-serving confessionals and stage-managed conflicts. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: If only "Dior and I" told us why we should care. Read more

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: Frederic Tcheng's Dior and I is a fashion doc with both a sense of history and a feel for the energy of a work in progress. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: If the ungodly star-driven media frenzy that surrounds the spring collections of the great Paris houses like Christian Dior is the public face of designer fashion, "Dior and I" shows us that what goes on behind the scenes is even more intriguing. Read more

Lisa Marsh, New York Daily News: Tcheng gets under Simons' skin - we see the designer's methods of work, insecurities, vulnerabilities and his ability to cut through the noise. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: Access to an institution like the house of Dior is a rare and precious thing, and Mr. Tcheng has paid for it with a flattering portrait dressed up to look like cleareyed scrutiny. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Tcheng finds Simons in moments of haughty self-confidence and tremulous self-doubt. Read more

Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com: "Dior and I" intimately demonstrates the tricky balance between art and commerce, between perpetuating a mythology while attending to the bottom line, and doing it with the pressure of a ticking clock. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: We get to know the people - mostly women, but a few men - whose hands create these intricate, beautiful garments. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: The documentary offers a privileged behind-the-scenes look at the workings of a business. It's also about the difficulties of the creative process, the running of an organization, and the adjustments that must be made when a new boss is in town. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: From creating photo files rather than sketching dresses, to fitting them on lithe human pipe cleaners who march them across the catwalk, the film is a serious look at a business containing surprising amounts of tension. Read more

Jody Mitori, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: This undramatic and flat peek "inside" the sewing rooms of Christian Dior holds little in the way of entertainment. Read more

Nathalie Atkinson, Globe and Mail: We get no sense that Simons is invested in the work, or concerned about what's at stake for his personal reputation, or has any insight into what he does with his time to balance what presumably are many other responsibilities and pressures. Read more

Bruce Demara, Toronto Star: One does come away with a grudging admiration for the toil and ingenuity of the many players who bring it all together. Read more

Cath Clarke, Time Out: Fashion fans will love this fly-on-the-wall doc. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice: Dior and I is a great fashion movie, but it's also a superb picture about the art of management, applicable to any field. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: The movie, not to mention the company, deserves praise for showing the challenges as well as the triumphs; "Dior and I" doesn't shy away from conflicts when they arise. This isn't marketing material. It's a real look at a fascinating line of work. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: The drama of getting new dresses on the runway turns out to be transfixing, while the hero redefines the notion of intense. Read more