60
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyRogerEbert.comGlenn KennyThis is a striking and thought-provoking picture.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MoorePast Life is best appreciated as an attempt to finally give permission, at the source of the grievance (Israel), not to forget, but to at least forgive.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoSan Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoDespite some cumbersome moments, the film delivers a to-the-point message about how the sins of the parents can be visited on the children.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranUneven but ultimately effective, convincing in mood and emotion despite its melodramatic plotting, Avi Nesher's Past Life is straight-ahead filmmaking heightened by a connection to a pervasive Israeli reality not often found on film.
- 67Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesAustin ChronicleKimberley JonesUltimately, it’s the kind-of mystery that undermines Past Life’s emotional kapow. You can hardly fault writer/director Avi Nesher for trying to tease suspense out of the story, but he establishes early an ominous tone and stubbornly holds steadfast to it.
- 63Slant MagazinePeter GoldbergSlant MagazinePeter GoldbergIts improbable story gives breath to the burden of fate on those living with a past unreconciled.
- 60Village VoiceKenji FujishimaVillage VoiceKenji FujishimaPast Life does add up to more than the sum of its heavy-handed miscalculations.
- 60The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergPast Life is a page-turner that transforms into a clarion call: always compelling, but slightly stifled by noble intentions.
- 50Washington PostMark JenkinsWashington PostMark JenkinsPast Life is a family melodrama in the guise of a murder mystery. Strong performances and the shadow of the Holocaust lend the story poignancy.
- 50Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghArizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghDespite the seriousness of the subject matter and the characters’ complex emotional journey, the film turns into something of a thriller with twists that, given the context, beleaguer believability.