---
title: "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed"
critics_score: 83
critics_reviews: 25
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022): what the critics said

Critics' score 83 from 25 reviews: 23 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics find All the Beauty and the Bloodshed deeply moving, with praise centred on how Poitras connects Nan Goldin’s personal history, photography and campaign against the Sacklers. The reviews repeatedly single out Goldin’s candid storytelling and the use of her photographs and archival material to convey intimacy, grief and the life of her community. The protest footage also draws praise for its tension, while the interwoven accounts of art and activism give the documentary much of its force.

The spread runs from emphatic praise to isolated dissatisfaction, though support is overwhelming. Reservations concern how well the many subjects fit together: Slant Magazine finds the film somewhat unwieldy but still powerful, while Little White Lies sees a vague purpose and unresolved implications that weaken it. The main disagreement is therefore about the storytelling, rather than the interest of Goldin’s life or the value of her activism.

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Rating 5/5. 6 March 2023. 

O'Sullivan calls it the best documentary of the year, while warning that it is emotionally devastating. She praises how Poitras intertwines Goldin's campaign against the Sacklers with the tragedies in Goldin's personal life.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-documentary-review-nan-goldin-sackler-b1055586.html)

## IndieWire — Sophie Monks Kaufman

Rating A+. 3 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic calls the documentary a towering, emotionally powerful achievement. She praises how Poitras connects Goldin’s life, art, grief, and activism into a coherent whole.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-review-nan-goldin-laura-poitras-1234758191/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Sheri Linden

Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2022. Festival review. 

Linden calls the documentary a sublime, gritty knockout and says its interwoven stories are likely to shake viewers to the core. She especially praises how Poitras and Goldin bring Goldin’s family history, artistic life, and activism together.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-laura-poitras-doc-venice-1235206361/)

## Empire — Ella Kemp

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2023. 

Kemp finds the documentary urgent and deeply affecting in its portrait of Nan Goldin’s art and activism. She singles out the way Goldin’s photographic work gains added poignancy and political force on screen.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed/)

## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2022. 

Abele finds the documentary enthralling and exhilarating, showing how art and activism can create meaningful change. He especially praises Poitras’ suspenseful, artful interweaving of Goldin’s personal history, photographs and campaign against the Sacklers.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-12-01/review-all-beauty-all-bloodshed-documentary-laura-poitras-nan-goldin)

## Sight and Sound

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 2022. 

The critic finds the documentary tremendously moving and illuminating, unifying Goldin’s personal history with her activism. They praise its beautifully constructed storytelling and intimate use of Goldin’s voice and photography.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/all-beauty-bloodshed-remarkable-portrait-power-protest)

## The AV Club — Jordan Hoffman

Rating A-. 22 November 2022. 

Hoffman calls the documentary profound, deeply moving, and among the year’s best. He praises how Poitras brings Goldin’s activism and personal history together to reveal the consistency of her life’s work.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-film-review-nan-goldin-1849797486)

## Vulture — Alison Willmore

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 2022. 

Willmore calls the documentary an incandescent, vital portrait that connects Goldin’s art, personal history, and activism. She praises the film’s depiction of Goldin and fellow activists disrupting the Sacklers’ cultivated respectability with protest.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-is-incendiary.html)

## The Guardian — Wendy Ide

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2023. 

Ide finds the documentary gripping and stirring, praising its deft interweaving of Goldin’s biography and creative history with her campaign against the Sacklers. She especially singles out the nervy tension of the protest and covert-meeting footage.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jan/28/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-review-nan-goldin-sackler-pharma-family-laura-poitras-documentary-oscar-nominated)

## The i Paper — Hettie Judah

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2023. 

The critic finds the documentary remarkable, moving, and propelled by a strong sense of justice. She particularly praises how Poitras uses Goldin’s photographs and slideshows to reveal a life of intimacy, loss, and activism.

[Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-captures-nan-goldins-fight-against-the-sackler-family-with-pain-and-power-2100679)

## The New Yorker

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review finds the documentary passionate and inspirational, presenting Goldin as a crucial witness and forceful activist. It singles out her frankness about painful experiences and the scope of her artistic and political work.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed)

## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen

Rating 4/5. 18 January 2023. 

The review presents the documentary as a scathing takedown of the Sackler family. It singles out the collision of art, activism and the opioid crisis as its strength.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-2022)

## Screen Daily — Wendy Ide

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2022. Festival review. 

Ide finds the documentary absorbing and presents it as a compelling portrait of Nan Goldin’s campaign. She praises how Poitras places Goldin’s battle against the Sackler family alongside her artistic background.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-venice-review/5174066.article)

## Slant Magazine — Kenji Fujishima

Rating 3/4. 18 September 2022. 

The review finds the film somewhat unwieldy, but ultimately an affectionate and powerful portrait. It especially praises Goldin’s candid storytelling and the illuminating presentation of her photographic art.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-review-laura-poitras/)

## Variety — Owen Gleiberman

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 3 April 2023. Festival review. 

Gleiberman finds the documentary deft and satisfying, ultimately praising how it weaves Goldin’s art and activism together. He singles out Poitras’s excavation of the trauma underlying Goldin’s photographs and her resistance to unjust authority.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-review-nan-goldin-laura-poitras-1235358856/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2022. 

The critic’s verdict cannot be determined from the supplied page. No specific praise or criticism is available because the article content is inaccessible.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/22/movies/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-review-nan-goldin.html)

## Little White Lies — Leila Latif

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. 

Latif finds the documentary less than the sum of its parts, with a somewhat vague purpose. She praises Goldin’s extraordinary life and activism, but says the film’s many subjects and unresolved implications weaken the result.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-venice-film-festival-review)

## Collider — Maggie Boccella

Rating A. 28 November 2022. 

Boccella calls the documentary incendiary and argues its blend of art, community, and activism makes its message powerfully clear. She praises how Nan Goldin’s photography and personal story connect with her campaign against the Sacklers.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-review-nan-goldin-laura-poitras/)

## Deadline — Stephanie Bunbury

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2022. Festival review. 

Bunbury finds the documentary gripping and calls it a stupendous work. She especially praises how Poitras connects Goldin’s activism with her candid account of her life and photography.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2022/09/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-review-laura-poitras-venice-film-festival-1235107160/)

## Paste — Luke Hicks

Rating 9.5. 23 November 2022. Festival review. 

Hicks calls the documentary masterful and says it deepens appreciation for Nan Goldin’s life and work. He especially praises Goldin’s candid, compelling storytelling and the way her photographs speak for themselves.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/documentaries/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-review)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2022. Festival review. 

The critic praises the film as a masterful, intimate portrait that intertwines Goldin’s art and activism. They single out Poitras’s use of Goldin’s photographs and archival material for its vivid, moving restoration of the artist’s community.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-film-review-nan-goldin-documentary-laura-poitras-sackler/)

## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2023. 

Robertson gives the documentary a strongly positive verdict, finding its considerable length worthwhile. He singles out the staggering intimacy of Goldin’s story and the film’s unflinching use of personal and archival material.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-2022-film-review-by-andrew-robertson)

## /Film — Lex Briscuso

Rating 8 out 10. 23 November 2022. 

The critic calls the documentary a compelling, important portrait of Nan Goldin and her activism. They single out Poitras’s use of Goldin’s photographs and dark landscapes to convey her experiences.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1114577/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-review-an-important-film-about-outcasts-and-activists/)

## The Skinny — Patrick Gamble

Rating ★★★★. 24 January 2023. 

The review finds the documentary profoundly moving and politically resonant. It praises how Poitras weaves Goldin’s intimate personal history together with her art and activism.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2022. Festival review. 

The headline presents the film as a powerful, grief-focused portrait. It singles out Poitras’s rumination on grief, but the review text was inaccessible.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed-review-laura-poitras-portrait-of-nan-goldin-is-a-powerful-rumination-on-grief-venice-20220903/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed.md