The Line

[An] emotionally probing French-language drama.

The film is unable to bring its disparate elements into a convincing totality.

It’s an arresting story of familial disharmony that’s distinctive both visually and thematically.

Meier’s humanism goes a long way, but there’s no denying that Belgian actor-singer-playwright Blanchoud, who collaborated on the screenplay for “The Line,” is the reason the project proves so impactful.

[An] engrossing, unnerving but unexpectedly sympathetic drama of family dysfunction...

You have to accept these people for who they are, but Meier doesn’t give us enough to help us believe in them.

Though The Line's ambiguity is probably intentional, rather than the result of carelessness, it prevents the film from being wholly satisfying. Nonetheless, Meier elicits full-bodied performances from her entire cast...

Unfortunately, [The Line] is also [Meier's] least creatively successful to date, a film that so aggressively literalizes its central metaphor that it removes the sense of latent threat that characterizes her best work.

As usual, Meier sketches out a dysfunctional family that is still a family, nonetheless. And she is wise enough not to question her characters motives or dig into their backgrounds too deeply, letting silence do the talking.

Not everyone is going to be along for the ride ... but when it comes to family drama, there are enough twists and turns to keep you invested.