57
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80CineVueBen NicholsonCineVueBen NicholsonAll of the film is handled in such a way: from the beautiful monochrome photography that only extends the disconnection Olga feels with the world, to the understated and haunting performances, particularly Olszanska's.
- 80EmpireDavid ParkinsonEmpireDavid ParkinsonAtmospheric and engrossing, this meticulous recreation of time and place acquires an unsettling contemporary relevance through its analysis of the mindset of a mass murderer with a death wish.
- 70The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyAnchored by a startling performance by Michalina Olszanska, the Czech film “I, Olga Hepnarova” is an austere, hypnotic story of sadness, madness and murder.
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceA top performance for this year so far, Olszanksa's Olga is standoffish, frequently smoldering, rarely smiling, and she toes the line between intelligence and insanity.
- 63Slant MagazineChristopher GraySlant MagazineChristopher GrayThe filmmakers take few measures to engender sympathy for Olga, but their prismatic take on her life, while novel, precludes making any resonant statements about homosexuality, emotional health, or humankind’s capacity for evil.
- 63RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireRogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireTomas Weinreb and Petr Kazda’s film, on the other hand, narrates a true-life crime but fails to provide an element that might’ve lifted it above tasteful art-house ordinariness—an engaging point of view.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonThe Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonOlszanska gives an impressively intense performance, if a little too mannered at first, but neither she nor the filmmakers ever get beneath the character's skin.
- 50Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganScreen DailyFionnuala HalliganI, Olga Hepnarova struggles with its difficult central character, always spiky and occasionally psychotic but never really as intriguing as the filmmakers clearly believe.
- 40The GuardianLeslie FelperinThe GuardianLeslie FelperinEven if you go into this film knowing absolutely nothing about the true story on which it’s based...you’ll sense something dreadful is going to happen because so much of it is crushingly dull.