Faust 2011

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, AV Club: Aleksandr Sokurov's demented, gunky take on the Faust legend tumbles from one scene into the next with loping, loopy energy. Read more

Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: Zeiler, a relatively unknown actor outside of German TV, energetically fills the main role with quick intelligence and unflagging self-confidence, which helps the viewer negotiate the dangerous ground he walks on. Read more

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: A grueling side show of a film, a morbid, mightily uninvolving piece ... Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: Faust's worldview may be esoteric, but its vision is lucid. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: The movie expands in its frame, surpassing simple comprehension and continuing to grow in your mind - and perhaps to blow it - long after it's over. Read more

Dave Calhoun, Time Out: [It] has a sly humour and down-to-earth mystery that make it cumulatively compelling and allow the themes of the story to burrow deep within the viewer. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Settle in, because this requires your charity, but you'll dream it all back up the next night. Read more

Jay Weissberg, Variety: Forget Marlowe, Goethe, Gounod and Murnau, or rather, lay them aside, since the idiosyncratic helmer Alexander Sokurov adds his own spin on the classic legend. Read more

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: The film has the lingering feel of being dry-hump-assaulted by an unwashed psychotic. Read more