Critic Reviews

• Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

  Along with Ms. Ogier, these four actresses [Fillières, Lizana, Mïkaël, Rovère] are the best reasons to see Seaside.

• John Anderson, Newsday

  Effective, if less than urgent.

• Bob Campbell, Newark Star-Ledger

  Touching, amusing, sometimes compelling, Seaside is ultimately little more revealing than a weekend visit. It's a sheaf of captivating postcards.

• Elvis Mitchell, New York Times

  [Lopes-Curval's] achievement is so particularly -- and peculiarly -- realized, evoking the enforced parameters and rhythms of small-town life, that the movie itself begins to feels restrictive.

• V.A. Musetto, New York Post

  The story is familiar and the direction doesn't break any new ground. Still, Lopes-Curval's excellent ensemble cast makes Seaside pleasurable viewing.

• Michael Atkinson, Village Voice

  Compare it to what passes for sophisticated filmmaking in this country and the movie becomes a living instrument of cinematic humanism.

• Duane Dudek, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

  A poignant and often charming but always understated look at drifting lives.

• Les Wright, culturevulture.net

  Poles-Curval balances the banal with the sublime in this simply remarkable and very French film.

• Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press

  If you were lolling on the beach, casting your eyes at the scantily clad folks around you and overhearing bits of their conversations, it would be akin to the experience of watching Seaside.

• Ed Gonzalez, City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

  The film's simple beauty lies in the way that Lopes-Curval effortlessly equates life to a passing season.

• , E! Online

  Stifled passion isn't necessarily engaging, and by focusing on too many characters, it's tough to care about all of these drifting souls.

• Rex Roberts, Film Journal International

  Rarely does a filmmaker emerge so wholly formed, creating a miniature masterpiece first time out.

• Christine James, Boxoffice Magazine

  Writer-director Julie Lopes-Curval's film is commendable for its resolute honesty in depicting unabating starkness in both scenery and existence, but cinematically galvanizing it's not.

• Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

  Seaside is splendid exploration of the power of place and the small changes that give our lives meaning.

• Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide

  Director Julie Lopes-Curval's deeply thoughtful first feature explores the factors and forces, notably class difference, that determine the direction one's life takes.

Read all 15 critic reviews