Critic Reviews

• Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

  While I have to acknowledge Garrel's skill, the film, which actually has its compelling moments, falls somewhat flat.

• Drew Hunt, Chicago Reader

  Garrel's work is indebted to silent cinema style, but his recent films have shown a real flair for dialogue too.

• Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

  "A Burning Hot Summer" failed to persuade me of any reason for its existence.

• Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post

  There are spirited moments, notably Angèle's torrid dance with another man at a party. But the film's observations are surprisingly retrograde, even absurd.

• Manohla Dargis, New York Times

  Here and elsewhere you linger in moments that, like memories and dreams, can feel severed from storybook time.

• Eric Hynes, Time Out New York

  A Burning Hot Summer wisely knows when and how to surgically slice directly to the bone. It's a bad romance of the highest order.

• Ela Bittencourt, Slant Magazine

  The Louis Garrel character's mixture of self-containment and alleged possessiveness over his wife fails to convince, if not to irritate.

• Fernando F. Croce, House Next Door

  Though shot in swanky color, the film retains the alternately trying and invigorating starkness of the director's recent, black-and-white efforts.

Read all 8 critic reviews