82
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Residue is a fleeting and haunting lament for what is lost to gentrification, and other tolls on black life in America. But at the same, it’s exhilarating and monumental, laced with the sensation that we’re discovering a bold and sensitive new voice.
- 90The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyGerima’s challenging, engrossing filmmaking style is measured, simultaneously realistic and impressionistic. What’s out of the frame is often as important, if not more important, than what’s in the frame.
- 90Film ThreatFilm ThreatResidue is a delicately balanced film that lands its points while exploring these conversations from angles that are often unseen.
- 80The New YorkerRichard BrodyThe New YorkerRichard BrodyGerima films Jay’s intimate confrontations with an impressionistic flair that focusses attention on characters’ listening, thinking, and remembering; flashbacks and dream sequences infuse Jay’s tightening conflicts with the pressure of history—both social and intimate.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeElliptical and teasingly (but beautifully) photographed, it can give the impression of an experimental work but ultimately has a direct story to tell, one whose specificity doesn't in the least diminish its broader relevance.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKevin CrustLos Angeles TimesKevin CrustThough as leisurely as a summer’s day, this kaleidoscopic memory film has an intensity of purpose that wants to knock you on your heels — or maybe harder — in its take on gentrification.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreThe bleak outlook of this story won’t be to every taste. But Residue brings a painful beauty to a real-life “whitewashing” of a city that will never let you look at gentrification from a realtor’s point of view ever again.
- 75Washington PostAnn HornadayWashington PostAnn HornadayResidue is a delicately layered depiction of the dance between alienation and belonging. In this moving portrait, it’s a dance is defined by struggle, grief and undiminished grace.
- 75RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonRogerEbert.comOdie HendersonBut the true strength of Residue is in its images. Gerima finds a poetic grace in his framing while forcing you to focus on unexpected things.
- 75The Film StageMatt CipollaThe Film StageMatt CipollaA collage of distant memories and the realities that threaten them, Residue is an auspicious calling card for its filmmaker.