Critic Reviews

• Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader

  It's surprisingly unsentimental in its depiction of people with disabilities, and the scenes of guide-dog training are informative.

• Andy Webster, New York Times

  Its principal selling point - the supreme watchability of dogs, especially working dogs - is undeniably powerful.

• Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

  It's a wonderful film, though, which is - oddly - only now getting a very limited release, eight years after its Japanese debut.

• Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

  Yoichi Sai's movie may be a bit tough for young viewers, but it is gentle and illuminating.

• Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

  What sets this film above so many movies about animals is that it's about a dog who is realistic in every aspect.

• Matt Singer, Time Out New York

  The real star is Rafie, the golden pup that plays Quill; dogs can be taught to sit or lie down, but they can't fake the sort of connection he makes with the people around him.

• S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media

  Charming subtitled drama shows healing power of dogs.

• James Plath, Movie Metropolis

  Quill is a drama that feels like a documentary . . . or vice versa. And that makes it kind of a strange animal.

• Rob Humanick, Slant Magazine

  The exquisite live-action Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog may be the family film of the year.

• Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com

  [The director] delivers a sentimental tale for dog lovers, grounded by the man-and-his-dog bond that has made the novels Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller perennially popular.

• Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal International

  Wonderful, emotionally wrenching charmer is an absolute must-see for dog-lovers of all ages.

• Fr. Chris Carpenter, Movie Dearest

  Director Yoichi Sai lays the sentimentality and humor on thick at times. Still, the movie is charming more often than not, and Sai's pseudo-documentary approach gives viewers a greater appreciation of service animals.

• Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

  A heart-affecting Japanese film about a patient, skilled, and loving seeing-eye dog and his brief life of service.

• Scott Tobias, AV Club

  Save for the tearful goodbye scenes, the only real drama in Quill is that Kobayashi is a little cranky at first and believe he's doing just fine with a cane.

• Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve

  A documentary-style drama portraying the training of a seeing-eye dog is sentimental and convincingly acted by both human beings and Labs

• David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

  ...this is the sort of movie kids will probably enjoy more than adults...

• Liz Braun, Jam! Movies

  It's tough to argue with a movie that features close-ups of Labrador puppies. Still, the Japanese feature Quill is one of the strangest dog movies this viewer has ever encountered.

Read all 17 critic reviews