The Overnighters 2014

Justin Chang, Variety: [A] tough-minded, admirably unresolved film ... Read more

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: Moss uncovers something greater than a vision of a divided community; he's made a drama as prickly and surprising as any fictional character study. Read more

Peter Keough, Boston Globe: Through patience, skill, discretion, and trust, Jesse Moss has taken a seemingly small town story and turned it into both a microcosm of today's most urgent issues and a portrait of a single suffering soul. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: The movie might seem like just another liberal do-gooder profile, yet a shocker ending throws new and disturbing light on the situation, amplifying the Christian themes at the heart of the story. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: So much of "The Overnighters" tells all sorts of truths, and Moss earned the trust of his subjects, whatever they might think of the result. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: A classic example of a documentary that discovers its subject in the process of its making. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Moss uses images of drill towers or blistering flame as visual metaphors for other things transpiring on screen: the fracturing of a family, the heated fury that comes with a sense of betrayal. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: It develops into a study of obsession, hypocrisy, righteousness and self-doubt, questioning motive and then gob-smacking the audience with the wholly unexpected. Read more

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly: Filmmaker Jesse Moss frames his shots beautifully; the landscapes look like Andrew Wyeth paintings. Read more

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: A scenario with present-day echoes of "The Grapes of Wrath" yields perceptive insights into the way we view outsiders. Read more

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: It's the rare documentary in which truly unpredictable events unfold and no assumption is safe. Read more

Amy Nicholson, L.A. Weekly: The Overnighters sounds like the sort of dry news blurb you'd skim over in the Sunday paper, but it unfolds into an epic tragedy. Read more

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: Composed of multiple layers - more than one of which might bring tears to your eyes - this shape-shifting documentary begins as one thing and ends as quite another. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: If John Steinbeck were writing in the second decade of the 21st century, "The Overnighters" is precisely the story he'd want to tell. Read more

David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle: Moss was basically a one-man production crew, which explains how he was able to film such intimate, painful conversations. His work is haunting - one of the best documentaries of the year. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The film features stunning third-act revelations that compel viewers to rethink its characters' actions and motivations. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: A sobering must-see, The Overnighters speaks to the eternal dilemma of doing the right thing in a community beset by suspicion and fear. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: An urgent portrait of compassion under fire. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: "The Overnighters" is commendable for many reasons, not the least of which is the way it allows complex issues to remain complex. There is a clear conflict between the pastor and the town, but there's no good vs. evil. Read more