Critic Reviews

• Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

  First-time director Chico Teixeira, an accomplished maker of documentaries in Brazil, brings a similar nonfiction feel to this melodramatic milieu, which is kick-started when Alice contemplates having an affair of her own with a former sweetheart.

• Susan Walker, Toronto Star

  Nothing much happens in Alice's House, and a turning point in the plot is terribly contrived, but as sociology and maybe even a pilot for a soap serial, the movie is worth a look.

• Desson Thomson, Washington Post

  Even though it sounds awfully depressing, there's something moving about watching people go at their lives with everything they have -- or don't have.

• Ty Burr, Boston Globe

  Like a Brazilian telenovela unfolding in real time, the film fans its cards out slowly until we can see for ourselves the deck is stacked.

• Monika Fabian, Time Out New York

  The capable cast, director's documentarian past and ambient soundtrack heighten the film's real-life sensibility, perfectly capturing the working-class life of a São Paulo family.

• Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times

  In a remarkably assured, no-frills feature debut, Brazilian documentarian Chico Teixeira draws a vivid portrait of marital and familial dysfunction.

• Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

  Contemporary life in Brazil as seen through the eyes of one working class family.

• Kelly Vance, East Bay Express

  Filmmaker Teixeira, a veteran documentarian, keeps Alice's world on a short, ultra-realistic leash.

• Nora Lee Mandel, Film-Forward.com

  Builds a quiet portrait of a family step-by-step imploding. Such a sympathetic depiction of working-class families are rarely seen on screen from any country.

• Liz Braun, Jam! Movies

  Alice's House is character driven, and the performances are key.

• Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses

  mia ap' aytes tis tainies poy den se noiazei an emfanistei enas pistolas apo to dipla gyrisma na toys gazosei oloys, arkei na teleiosei. Kai telika, kapos etsi ginetai.

• Larry Ratliff, San Antonio Express-News

  Very well-acted, especially by (Carla) Ribas, this is a tense drama of friendship, family and deceit that explores a wide spectrum of raw emotions.

• Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix

  [The] restrained, elliptical style, focused on details rather than confrontations, and the nuanced performances make this house a home.

• Beth Accomando, KPBS.org

  Teixeira brings his camera into her home and quietly records the details of her daily life. The result is a carefully observed film about one woman's growing dissatisfaction.

• David D'Arcy, Screen International

  [Director Chico] Texeira's ordinary characters have a quiet genuineness and clarity that is rare anywhere in movies these days.

• Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

  Although the characters are steeped in the culture of telenovelas and voodoo superstition, Alice's House is a subtly flavorful slice of life rather than a steamy potboiler.

• Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

  In her first leading role, Carla Ribas joins the fast-growing ranks of middle-aged Latina actresses whose performances resonate with a beguiling mixture of emotional complexity and sexual maturity.

• Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat

  Ribas has justifiably won a shelf of awards for her portrayal.

• John P. McCarthy, Boxoffice Magazine

  The juiciest bits happen off camera, yet their consequences are riveting, thanks in no small measure to sympathetic performances by Carla Ribas and Berta Zemel.

Read all 19 critic reviews