Zaytoun 2012

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: In grabbing for the heart this one-size-fits-all fable sadly ignores the mind. Read more

John Anderson, Variety: Given how much Zaytoun follows the playbook, the pic's portentous ending is extraordinarily subtle, and will resonate best with those who know the history of the region. Read more

Tom Russo, Boston Globe: We've ... got to admit right up front: Part of our interest was simply to see what Stephen Dorff is doing playing an Israeli POW. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: The resolution is a bit Hollywood, but then who says all films about the Middle East have to be relentlessly grim? "Zaytoun" dares to find common ground and hope amidst political confusion. Read more

Stephen Dalton, Hollywood Reporter: The film's facile message of cross-cultural unity owes more to fairy tale than reality, but the action is slick and the story gripping. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: It's just all too breezy to have any real effect. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: A trek that is occasionally very unlikely, but moving nonetheless. Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: Congeniality isn't necessarily honesty ... and Riklis regularly fudges. Read more

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: It's probably best viewed as a fable that tries to strike a hopeful note amid the many woes of the Middle East, but the blunt filmmaking and the near-sentimentality make it hard to buy into. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Zaytoun wants to milk a historical moment as a plea for tolerance; its only accomplishment is to channel the forgettable foreign-film exotica of decades past. Read more

John Oursler, Village Voice: By the end ... the director's ambivalence is overwhelming, obscuring an important story with undeniable modern parallels. Read more