Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes 2014

Kyle Smith, New York Post: A film so self-serious that it demands to be remade as a Seth MacFarlane farce, "The Truth About Emanuel" mixes the ludicrous and the pretentious in a story about mommy issues gone wild. Read more

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, AV Club: The result plays like bad poetry, eager to fool around with symbols, but unable to use them complexly or to realize their transformative potential. Read more

Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter: Although Gregorini is very clear on where her lead characters are coming from, it's where they're headed that remains entirely vague, an oversight that leaves them unfortunately adrift. Read more

Annlee Ellingson, Los Angeles Times: Tackling the pain of motherhood and guilt of daughterhood, director Francesca Gregorini builds unbearable tension into scenes that otherwise risk tilting toward melodrama. Read more

Ella Taylor, NPR: The movie, trapped in the weeds of self-pity and skin-deep badassery, never quite earns the sympathy it so strenuously solicits. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: A lack of development - in both characters and storyline - will likely leave you feeling duped. Read more

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: A tedious wallow in female damage and the indulgence of same ... Read more

David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer: It's not so much a thriller as it is a ride on a runaway crazy train. Read more

Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com: The universal truths Gregorini ostensibly hopes to unearth here actually end up feeling more than a little murky. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: The film has an odd and striking energy, and the chemistry between Scodelario and Biel has an electrical charge to it. Read more

USA Today: The movie goes off the deep end early, often and to little effect. Read more

Dennis Harvey, Variety: Offbeat, but also frequently off-key and somewhat off-putting. Read more

Chris Packham, Village Voice: Gregorini presents her characters as recognizably human balls of complexity, nudging but never forcing them toward a sad, beautiful conclusion. Read more