La petite Jérusalem 2005

Marta Barber, Miami Herald: This beautiful tale of two sisters living in Sarcelles, a low-income Parisian suburb of mostly new immigrants, presents the darker side of religion while offering a candid view of an Orthodox Jewish family struggling to stay together. Read more

Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: Rich in perceptive details, Albou's film has drawn favorable comparison to the work of Claire Denis (The Intruder, Friday Night), and both directors share a sensual sensitivity to their characters' inner lives. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: It's very well-acted and directed, shot with great vigor, mostly in roaming closeups that plunge us right into the thick of things. Read more

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Read more

Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times: The grand ideas are effectively integrated into a drama that relies equally upon the head, the heart and the body for inspiration. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: It would be hard to imagine a filmmaking style as serious yet lazy as the earnest verite bobbing and weaving employed by La Petite Jerusalem. Read more

Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly: [If the film] is a story of escape and liberation, it also shows a calibrated respect for tradition and the ancient pull of family loyalty. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Well played by Fanny Valette -- even her pallor seems to match our image of a French philosophy student -- Laura is someone worth rooting for. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Anyone shopping by the ton for melodrama is well advised to browse the ample display on view in this cinematic square. Read more

Susan Walker, Toronto Star: It is a story told in small moments, the camera close-up on a look, the stroke of a hand, the way a blonde thread is revealed in a husband's jacket. Read more

Lisa Nesselson, Variety: Centered on people of limited means, pic intelligently explores the ways in which the demands of a tightly knit religious community can be stifling or liberating depending on one's own temperament. Read more

Rachel Aviv, Village Voice: ... strains under the influence of too many philosophy texts ... Read more