86
Metascore
31 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The PlaylistKatie WalshThe PlaylistKatie WalshHeineman has a unique ability to condense and explain complicated information and political events without straying from the deeply personal journeys of his subjects or relying on talking heads or text.
- 100The film is about more than simply personal loss and Heineman’s admiration of journalist activists. It’s a guide to the media war being fought between Isis’s video team and RBSS.
- 100The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorThe doc, similar to the Oscar-winning The White Helmets but a subtler portrait of heroism, reveals accurate information as the first weapon of resistance.
- 100The Seattle TimesBrent McKnightThe Seattle TimesBrent McKnightTimely, pressing, important.
- 100Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlHeineman’s film urges us not to take any horrors for granted. It is invaluable, as both moral instruction and documented history.
- 91The Film StageDan MeccaThe Film StageDan MeccaThere is life and death in every single frame of City of Ghosts, not to be easily forgotten.
- 91Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyEntertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyCity of Ghosts shows us what journalism can do in the face of evil. Its message is haunting, humane, and ultimately hopeful.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyHeineman offers up a double portrait of devastation, of a truly destroyed city and of partially decimated survivors, leaving the viewer with an empathetic sense of deep sorrow.
- 90Screen DailyDavid D'ArcyScreen DailyDavid D'ArcyCity of Ghosts shows us the power of media to bring the grim truth about life under ISIS to the world, even when under a death sentence. In keeping our eyes on Raqqa, it also reminds us of the limits of that power.
- 80VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeWhat City of Ghosts does best is to humanize those who’ve suffered most from the conflict in Syria, educating us through both outrage and compassion.