Elle s'appelait Sarah 2010

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Luckily, the movie has Scott Thomas. She knows her radiance can't be helped, so she uses it here like a searchlight. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The Holocaust scenes are wrenching, the past-meets-present dialectics less so. Read more

Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: ...it doesn't shilly-shally about issues pertaining to guilt and culpability. It's also pretty engrossing... Read more

Rachel Saltz, New York Times: [It] is undone by its very premise: that the two stories it tells can coexist in the same film. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: When Sarah's Key leans into the horror (as it should), it's harrowing. Alas, that's only half the time. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Plot contrivances that may have passed for intricacies in the book ... now ring as false as Sarah's story rings true. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: "Sarah's Key," based on the novel by Tatiana de Rosnay, struggles with a problem it never overcomes: How do you make viewers care about everyday problems when juxtaposed with the horror of the Holocaust? Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: The film version of Sarah's Key showcases two daring decisions that take the material out of well-trod territory. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: While the flashbacks come to life through small acts of courage and kindness amid epic-scale evil, the frame story is a recurring letdown that feels trivial and contrived. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: Thomas carries the weight of the movie, and her usual sangfroid works against her; when she finally makes contact with the deported couple's grandson, the story crumples into sentimentality Read more

Joy Tipping, Dallas Morning News: Fans of the book will be glad to hear that it's a faithful adaptation, if markedly less compelling than de Rosnay's prose. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Thomas' performance is one of brilliant restraint and believable naturalism. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Based on a popular novel by Tatiana De Rosnay, Sarah's Key has perhaps a few too many coincidences and complications, but its impact is undeniable. The scars of war never truly heal. Read more

Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: A heartbreaking, wonderfully acted and superbly dramatized drama. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: "Sarah's Key" is more powerful than you expect, maybe even more powerful than it should be. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: In an eloquent, moving manner, Sarah's Key argues that we are all products of the past regardless of whether we are aware of it and that understanding our roots, no matter how painful the process, is preferable to remaining oblivious. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: This movie of "Sarah's Key" might have been better if it had rewritten the book, and simply focused on the past. Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: The glib story and hectoring structure undermine the filmmakers' best intentions. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: A dramatic tale of survival and horrific memories struggles against distracting melodrama in "Sarah's Key," and unfortunately, melodrama wins. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Clunky, improbable plot developments match equally inept dialogue. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: Painful, blood-curdling and ultimately heartbreaking, Sarah's Key occasionally moves too ponderously for its own good, but its myriad elements are coherent and easy to follow. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: Excellent performances make the movie effective. Yet the flashbacks have a depth and resonance largely absent from the modern scenes. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: "Sarah's Key" cuts back and forth between a tragic story involving the Holocaust and an essentially trivial, feel-good story about a modern-day reporter. It's an awkward fit and diminishes the impact of the earlier story. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: It does provide audiences with the satisfaction of seeing and hearing an important truth expressed, and that's better than making you feel good. That's making you feel something. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: A compelling, handsomely produced history lesson and personal drama... Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: When it finds the right room, "Sarah's Key" unlocks a haunting story. Read more

Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail: Scott Thomas's portrayal of her character's emotional transition ensures Sarah's Key will keep your heart open. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Scott Thomas, arguably the best British actress who managed never to be cast in the Harry Potter series, makes for a perfect audience surrogate. Read more

Cath Clarke, Time Out: Scott Thomas is tremendous ... the emotional detail of her performance is never less than gripping, even as the film falters. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: French director Paquet-Brenner occasionally yields to melodrama, particularly in the final act, but he is resolute about not depicting all of his countrymen as Nazi stooges, since many weren't. Read more

Scott Bowles, USA Today: Unflinching yet poignant, Sarah's Key asks just how deeply you want to delve into your past. Read more

Alissa Simon, Variety: Comprising prestige names and unknowns, the ensemble cast acquits itself well. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: Sarah's Key dutifully follows the template of scores of movies about the Shoah: wringing from atrocity the most unseemly sentimentality. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: A movingly told tale of tragedy and its consequences, not just for the players in the original tragedy but also for those touched by their actions, in an ever-widening circle of aftershocks. Read more