56
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Film ThreatBobby LePireFilm ThreatBobby LePire1BR has a lot to say about what a person is willing to sacrifice to be happy and if said sacrifice is worth it. It does so effectively and intensely, with a smart script, a few plotholes aside, and excellent directing. The acting across the board is terrific, and the culmination of Sarah’s tumultuous journey during the berserk ending is well worth taking.
- 78Paste MagazineJoelle MoniquePaste MagazineJoelle MoniqueA visceral expression of fear and longing, 1BR could be a new cult classic. With incredible performances, a solid twist and the possibility of a franchise sequel, 1BR aims high. The good news is the film hits most of its targets.
- 75RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsRogerEbert.comSimon AbramsEverything in 1BR is over-exposed, often literally thanks to the movie’s basic camera set-ups and general emphasis on naturally and/or harshly front-lit close-ups, or medium shots of brown stucco walls.
- 63Slant MagazineDerek SmithSlant MagazineDerek SmithThe film gives palpable expression to the sense of hopelessness felt by those who fall under the control of cults.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeTaken on its own terms, it's a solid if hardly revolutionary thriller that bodes well for the filmmaker's future in genre films.
- 50VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyWith its aspects of human captivity, brainwashing, collective insanity and ersatz utopianism, Marmor could have taken his story in myriad tonal directions. But instead of a wild ride, his film emerges a competent one that holds the attention, yet also feels like a missed chance at something truly memorable from a promisingly offbeat premise.
- 50The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisDrawing on a fascination with cults and utopian communities, the director and co-writer, David Marmor, has created a mildly entertaining survival story whose depiction of psychological indoctrination far outstrips its generic dips into torture.
- 38Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreThe test of the movie is whether we’ll instinctively root for the standard white-girl-in-jeopardy and accept the physical abuse, mental anguish and humiliations Sarah must endure before figuring out if she can fight back. Because Bloom? She gives us nothing.