Ilo Ilo 2013

John Hartl, Seattle Times: Characters who may seem hopeless begin to suggest a vulnerable side, and none truly deserve the situations that afflict them. Read more

Maggie Lee, Variety: The film sketches a genuinely moving portrait of Keng Teck, a failed breadwinner with a wounded ego, whose good nature is revealed in tiny gestures of solidarity with Terry. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: The acting is terrific, as is the attention to detail. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: Anthony Chen, a Singaporean writer-director with a half-dozen shorts to his credit, makes his feature debut with this vividly characterized domestic drama. Read more

Stephen Dalton, Hollywood Reporter: Chen's interest has a tighter domestic focus, gently probing the unspoken fault lines of class, race and age that run through modern, multicultural Singapore. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: "Ilo Ilo" is writer-director Anthony Chen's first film, but breathtaking intimacy in storytelling is already second nature to him. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: By the end of a movie that could have been a tear-jerker, you empathize with everybody equally. Read more

G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: Chen builds his case not with sentimentality and obvious plot points, but through everyday life -- showering, doing laundry, dropping the boy off at school, phone calls. Read more

Tim Campbell, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Young actor Koh Jia Ler's brave performance recalls "The 400 Blows," he's that great. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: A satisfying beam of compassion. Read more

Chris Packham, Village Voice: Small details and incidents accrete into a pointillist rendering of despair. Read more

Mark Jenkins, Washington Post: The crowded compositions convey a sense of life in the dense Asian city-state, but also the intimacy of this semi-autobiographical story. Read more