55
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlComplaints that there's too little here about how the Jejune Institute was hatched or what it all may have meant matter little in the face of the one great thing The Institute does offer: a record of the mad invention of the game's masterminds.
- 70The DissolveNathan RabinThe DissolveNathan RabinIt’s compelling throughout, and profoundly moving at times, even when it rings false, which is often. It’s a divisive, shadowy conversation-starter of a movie that’s as much fun to talk and think about as it is to watch.
- 60Los Angeles TimesInkoo KangLos Angeles TimesInkoo KangBecause The Institute is largely framed as if the viewer were a co-player in Jejune's game, the film is an experience that's fun and frustrating in equal measure.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe film will frustrate viewers who insist on knowing which interviewees are recounting real experiences and which are perpetuating fictions hatched by the game's creator, Jeff Hull. But mystery is part of the appeal.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleA ludicrous, yet oddly engaging documentary.
- 50The New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe Institute stumbles between documentary and exploratory simulation, at once confusing and pedantic.
- 25Slant MagazineSlant MagazineA lazily constructed documentary that doesn't hide first-time director Spencer McCall's admitted lack of understanding for his subject.