72
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91The PlaylistKimber MyersThe PlaylistKimber MyersIt’s simultaneously incredibly pleasurable and quite disturbing, owing to its chilling elements and commentary on larger issues.
- 90Village VoiceApril WolfeVillage VoiceApril WolfeAlways Shine is a potent psychological thriller, all right. But it's also a powerful statement on the very industry that produced it.
- 90The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyAlways Shine is a deft, assured movie with a sly self-reflexive undercurrent containing commentary on sexism and self-idealization that’s provocative, and sometimes disturbing.
- 80Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfWhat makes Always Shine transcend, though, is its long-telegraphed yet still unexplained switcheroo — not exactly new to fans of "Mulholland Drive" (or even "Freaky Friday") but near-experimental in its implications, given the context of two women struggling to make their professional marks.
- 75The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloAlways Shine shines brightest when it lets these women be themselves, and the filmmaking provides the dissonance.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeStrong performances propel a movie that wears its influences (De Palma, Lynch) on its sleeve without feeling like a copycat.
- 67The Film StageJordan RaupThe Film StageJordan RaupIn the end, even with its shaky introduction and unsatisfying climax, Always Shine effectively lingers with a pair of deeply committed performances and Takal’s layered dissection of the vulnerabilities inherent in the world of filmmaking.
- 50VarietyScott TobiasVarietyScott TobiasWith her confident second feature, director Sophia Takal (“Green”) takes on Tinseltown misogyny and the toxic rivalry between friends, but that’s mere prelude to a gonzo meta-fiction that deconstructs itself nearly to death.
- 50Slant MagazineCarson LundSlant MagazineCarson LundThe film undermines the unity of its characterizations, redirecting into garish phantasmagoria.