76
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90VarietyNick SchagerVarietyNick SchagerDriven by both empathy and a passion for justice, “How to Survive a Plague” director David France’s stellar documentary charts an investigation into the still-unsolved death of trans icon Marsha P. Johnson, along the way illuminating the persistent discrimination that exists today, and the bonds of community designed to counter it.
- 88RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyRogerEbert.comGlenn KennyAppears at first to take a more macro perspective on gay rights. But it tells a big story indeed.
- 85TheWrapClaudia PuigTheWrapClaudia PuigThe film is vital for both its history and its currency. Above all, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson works powerfully as a rallying cry for tolerance, love and understanding.
- 80Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonPointedly recounting the history of the LGBT movement in New York, director David France shines a light on how, even within that community, transgender people have been treated like second-class citizens.
- 80Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbeleWhile Cruz wins us over with her emotionally charged amateur sleuthing, the weight of a constant struggle to not just gain acceptance, but survive fighting for it, gives France’s documentary a stirring poignancy.
- 75The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayStill, even if The Death And Life Of Marsha P. Johnson doesn’t wholly deliver on its premise, France does a remarkable job of finding the continuity between New York in the ’70s, ’90s, and now.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyWhile the sense of closure that the film seeks to provide perhaps inevitably remains elusive, it covers another vital chapter in queer history, sadly still relevant in the ongoing frequency of violence against trans women.
- 63Slant MagazineKeith WatsonSlant MagazineKeith WatsonIt brims with empathy and righteous outrage at the treatment of trans people, but with only a vague organizational structure, it ultimately feels scattershot, passionately covering a number of important issues without quite unifying them into a coherent whole.
- 60The New York TimesKen JaworowskiThe New York TimesKen JaworowskiThere are several strong stories in The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, a documentary that, in trying to tell them all, takes on too much.