--- title: "Capernaum: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/capernaum/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/capernaum" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 12 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." --- # Capernaum (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 12 reviews: 10 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Capernaum’s account of childhood poverty and undocumented life in Beirut, praising its compassion and urgency. The clearest agreement concerns Zain Al Rafeea: the reviews repeatedly credit his natural performance with giving the film its anger, resilience and emotional force. Praise also gathers around the chemistry between the young performers and Nadine Labaki’s direction of them. Many find humour and kindness amid the hardship, keeping the story from becoming unrelieved suffering. The disagreement is sharper over how Labaki shapes that suffering. Reservations concern the courtroom framing, conspicuous emotional pressure and attempts to address too many social problems at once. Sight and Sound finds an angry social indictment that avoids sentimentality; Little White Lies sees contrivance and moralising that weaken the politics. Slant Magazine likewise admires the lead performance but objects to the handling of misery. The consensus is favourable, then, with a minority questioning the film’s methods rather than its concerns. ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 February 2019. The film is a tough, unflinching yet empathetic picaresque journey through Beirut's streets, using courtroom scenes as bookends. It singles out the two astonishing child performances for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/capernaum-review/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2019. Nadine Labaki’s feature is a success story and underdog tale of underdogs on Beirut's streets, with a breathtaking middle section that is topical, hilarious, tender and brutal. It singles out the chemistry between the young leads Zain and Yonas for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/capernaum-review-breathtaking-tale-of-underdogs-on-the-streets-of-beirut-a4073981.html) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 4/5. The review highlights the film's compassionate humanity and neorealist style in exposing the plight of Lebanon's undocumented children, commending the miraculous direction of young leads and the chaotic yet gripping portrayal of their world. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-qnhc0k/capernaum/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 February 2019. The critic praises the compelling central performance by non-professional actor Zain Al Rafeea as a resilient yet angry child navigating Beirut's poverty and neglect. The film is noted for its memorable child performances and focus on the perils of undocumented life, though the court scenes feel unnecessary. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/24/capernaum-review-nadine-labaki-oscar-nominated-zain-al-rafeea) ## Time Out — Anna Smith Rating 4/5. 18 May 2018. Festival review. The critic finds the film a compassionate and heartfelt journey through Lebanese slums, blending political fable with heartbreaking realism, and praises the magnetic performance of the young lead while noting its darker tone compared to similar films. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/capernaum) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2018. The critic calls it a deeply assured and relentlessly devastating piece that makes an uncompromising case through its child protagonist and standout young performances, though it risks buckling under the weight of suffering and feels manipulative at times. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/12/capernaum-review.html) ## Financial Times — Nigel Andrews Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2019. The critic describes the film as a captivating, helter-skelter tale of a boy suing his parents, full of energy and pathos with strong storytelling. It is compared favorably to Dickens for its neorealism with bells on, though emotional buttons are sometimes pushed too obviously. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/ad58ccc8-3512-11e9-bb0c-42459962a812) ## Slant Magazine — Diego Semerene Rating 2.5/4. 4 December 2018. The critic praises the natural, documentary-like performance of the lead child actor but faults the film for obvious maneuverings, trying to tackle too many issues at once, and turning misery pornographic rather than relying on its environment's dramatic force. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/capernaum/) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 3/2/2. 19 February 2019. The review criticizes the film as hectoring, contrived, and simplistic, with aggressive moralizing and sentimentality that undermines its potential as a political drama. It notes a decent central performance but compares it unfavorably to Bicycle Thieves. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/capernaum) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich 18 May 2018. Festival review. Despite a standout baby performance, the social-realist epic is hobbled by scattershot choices and well-intentioned but messy execution. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/capernaum-review-nadine-labaki-cannes-2018-1201966059/) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele 12 December 2018. The review describes the film as a poverty saga with heart-in-your-throat urgency and breathtaking intensity driven by nonprofessional actors and crafted melodrama. It notes the standout child performance while observing some clunky elements in the final act. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-capernaum-review-20181212-story.html) ## Screen Daily 17 May 2018. Festival review. The critic describes it as a powerful, gritty drama and howl of protest against social injustice, with a galvanizing central performance, noting its raw dramatic power and potential for awards success despite some narrative looseness. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/capernaum-cannes-review/5129486.article) ## Sight and Sound — Kate Stables 23 February 2019. The critic praises Labaki's gritty, neorealist approach to depicting child poverty in Beirut slums, highlighting the excellent performance by the juvenile lead Zain Al Rafeea and the film's avoidance of sentimentality. The film is seen as a powerful, angry indictment of social injustice without descending into poverty porn. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/capernaum-review-sharp-eyed-street-level-melodrama) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin 17 May 2018. Festival review. The critic finds the film not subtle but stirring, praising the outstanding performances from the non-professional cast and the credible view of Lebanon's slums and shantytowns despite an unbelievable central conceit. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/capharnaum-review-1112973/) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Rating Critic’s Pick. 13 December 2018. The critic calls the film a hectic and heartbreaking look at a boy’s life amid the chaos of Beirut, praising its absorbing energy and refusal to succumb to despair. It singles out the young lead’s charisma and moral authority as a key source of the film’s power. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/movies/capernaum-review.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 22 February 2019. The critic highlights the harrowing yet humane portrayal of a Beirut street kid suing his parents and caring for a baby amid Lebanon's migrant crisis. Labaki layers the harsh story with moments of kindness that break the heart. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/capernaum-review-zbw7bqs65) ## Variety — Jay Weissberg 18 May 2018. Festival review. The critic hails the film as a powerful leap forward for the director, a splendid addition to great child-endangerment dramas with heart and intelligence. It singles out the astonishing direction of non-professional performers and the revelation of the young lead actor. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/capernaum-review-capharnaum-1202814614/) ## The Skinny — Joseph Walsh Rating ★★★★★. 22 May 2018. Festival review. The critic calls it a searing, politically charged drama exploring child-trafficking in Beirut's underbelly, centered on a court case and flashbacks. They single out the raw, wounded performance by young lead Zain Al Rafeea as incredible and note how the film avoids clichés in its brutal socio-realist approach. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/international-festivals/cannes/capernaum) ## Eye for Film — Anne-Katrin Titze Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2018. The critic finds the film powerful and urgent in depicting the hardships faced by impoverished refugee children in Lebanon. She singles out the charismatic non-professional child performers and the elegant compositions that contrast with the suffering they portray. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/capernaum-2018-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze) ## The Wrap — Monica Castillo Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2018. The critic calls the film a brutally honest drama about neglected children that is sometimes difficult to watch, highlighting the young lead's emotional performance and the director's focus on the exploitation of children and migrants. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/capernaum-film-review-lebanon-oscar-2018-nadine-labaki/) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 5.9. 29 January 2019. The critic finds the film a relentlessly one-note depiction of misery that overstays its welcome and lacks nuance or respite. Labaki means well but the result feels like punishing poverty tourism with structural issues between its neo-realist scenes and courtroom framing. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/capernaum/capernaum) --- © 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/capernaum.md