78
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanAs the title of the film suggests, it tells a story involving as much human drama as geopolitical maneuvering. It’s a story of personalities and, at times, the fragile male ego.
- 90Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternIt’s surely the most spellbinding documentary ever made about the mediation process.
- 88RogerEbert.comMatt FagerholmRogerEbert.comMatt FagerholmThe Human Factor is as much about modern day America as it about Israel and Palestine, and how much we have to lose when we give into the easy temptation of demonizing those who think differently—even if it’s as a result of listening to Tucker Carlson.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthySedentary at these encounters may be, they are also frequently riveting and invariably fascinating, as they provide first-hand accounts and insider insights of the sort infrequently heard. These almost invariably underline the significance of the film's title in the scheme of diplomacy and rewardingly reveal the hopes and regrets that come with the territory.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKevin CrustLos Angeles TimesKevin CrustAn engrossing peek inside the Mideast peace talks during the Clinton administration.
- 75IndieWireEric KohnIndieWireEric KohnMuch of the world views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a fixed problem with no end in sight. Few can explain why, but “The Human Factor” finds those who can. With the white-knuckle intensity of a first-rate political thriller, Israeli filmmaker Dror Moreh’s engrossing documentary tracks glacial efforts to broker a peace deal over the past three decades.
- 75New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottNew Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottFrom the blow-by-blow ticktock of the efforts of Secretary of State James Baker during Bush the elder’s administration to Bill Clinton’s failed Camp David summit, they push The Human Factor into surprisingly suspenseful territory, even if we all know how it ends.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonSan Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonIf nothing else, The Human Factor demonstrates the tall task that awaits President Biden’s secretary of state, Antony Blinken. Good luck.
- 70The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe Human Factor presents a cogent and involving view of the Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, mainly from 1991 until the end of Bill Clinton’s first term, told through the recollections of United States negotiators charged with brokering a peace.
- 50VarietyJay WeissbergVarietyJay WeissbergMoreh offers no analysis — an especially unfortunate stance given explosive feelings and wildly variable interpretations of events. Finally, the film pushes the deeply disquieting assumption that the United States knows what’s best for those troublesome people in the Middle East, whose tantrums kiboshed all the hard work and emotional investment put in by the sainted Americans.