81
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The PlaylistOliver LytteltonThe PlaylistOliver LytteltonIt's a state-of-the-nation masterwork, a vitally important piece of work, and should be seen by as many people as possible.
- 100VarietyLeslie FelperinVarietyLeslie FelperinOne of Wiseman’s best, a summation of sorts of a career’s worth of principled filmmaking from a director in his ninth decade.
- 100The A.V. ClubBen KenigsbergThe A.V. ClubBen KenigsbergAn exhilarating, four-hour immersion in life at the University Of California campus.
- 100The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenA documentary necessarily conveys a point of view, and although Mr. Wiseman, as is his wont, is neither seen nor heard in a film that proceeds without commentary or subtitles, his spirit is palpable. Without overtly editorializing, the film quietly and steadfastly champions state-funded public education available to all.
- 88Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerSlant MagazineAndrew SchenkerFrederick Wiseman's At Berkeley isn't only a study of the contemporary American university, but, like all of the filmmaker's best documentaries, a wide-ranging inquiry into the larger institutions and contradictions that define life in the United States.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungAt times fascinating, at times not, its in-depth look at the administration, campus, students and faculty offers an insider's view into the way American academia functions.
- 80Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerWiseman's generally static camera spends prolonged periods of time in the classroom, at student gatherings, and in the halls of educational power, training a multifaceted gaze on opinions regarding an economic shift affecting faculty salaries, subsidized programs, student tuition, and the university's fundamental "public" character.
- 60The DissolveMike D'AngeloThe DissolveMike D'AngeloThere’s a real fascination in watching the gears of this massive machine grind. Once the student protest comes to dominate the film’s second half, however, things get dicier.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfAt Berkeley works beautifully as a picture of compromised activism; viewers who summon the patience to commit to its indulgences won’t feel shortchanged, even if next year’s freshmen are.