--- title: "City of Ghosts: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/city-of-ghosts/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/city-of-ghosts" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 17 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." --- # City of Ghosts (2017): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 17 reviews: 15 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics rate Heineman’s documentary highly, and they agree on where its force lies. Review after review praises the closeness of his access to the citizen journalists of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, and the way the film keeps their grief, fear and resilience in view rather than the spectacle of Islamic State violence. Several single out the toll on the activists’ families, and one notes the restraint of the editing, which conveys the horror without always showing death. The reservations are about shape rather than substance. IndieWire finds the film struggles to pull its material into a coherent whole, Slant thinks the final act falters, and Variety suggests it feels less urgent than the journalists’ own work. Little White Lies praises its compassion but rates it lower than most. The spread is narrow: no critic is negative, and the only disagreement is over whether the film’s craft matches the courage it records. ## The Guardian — Charlie Phillips Rating 5/5. 27 January 2017. Festival review. Phillips calls the documentary a triumphant, potentially definitive account of Syria and citizen journalism. He praises its intimate portrayal of activists’ trauma and the chilling detail of their media war with Isis. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/27/city-of-ghosts-review-could-be-the-definitive-syria-documentary) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 2017. Turan finds the documentary powerful and unnerving, emphasizing the grave human cost of reporting on Islamic State. He praises Heineman’s intimate access to the citizen-journalists and their dangerous work. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-city-of-ghosts-review-20170713-story.html) ## Empire — Andrew Lowry Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 July 2017. Lowry gives the documentary a strongly positive verdict, calling it an important and moving film. He singles out the courage and quiet professionalism of the Syrian citizen journalists it follows. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/city-ghosts-2017-review/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Rating 4/5. 16 November 2017. O'Sullivan finds the documentary harrowing yet visually beautiful, tender and often funny, ultimately treating it as hopeful. She praises the journalists’ resilience and resourcefulness as they risk everything to expose Islamic State. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/city-of-ghosts-film-review-brutal-reality-of-life-in-the-is-capital-a3682001.html) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★★. 21 July 2017. Turner calls the documentary vital and upsetting, arguing that its disturbing imagery is justified by the urgency of its story. He singles out its personal account of the activists’ courage and the devastating impact of ISIS’s violence on their families. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/city-of-ghosts-film-review-documentary-matthew-heineman-80008) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B. 7 July 2017. Ehrlich finds the documentary harrowing and urgent, though it struggles to shape its material into a coherent whole. He praises its vivid illustration of how media can help resist ISIS. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/city-of-ghosts-review-matthew-heineman-syria-isis-1201851686/) ## Slant Magazine — Christopher Gray Rating 3/4. 3 July 2017. Gray finds the documentary urgent and compelling overall, though its final act falters. He praises Heineman’s intimate relationships with the journalists, which sustain the film’s emotional force. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/city-of-ghosts/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2017. Festival review. Debruge finds the documentary powerful in its humanizing account of Syrians resisting ISIS, though he notes it does not feel as urgent as the journalists’ own work. He especially praises how it brings the members of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently and their suffering into focus. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/city-of-ghosts-review-sundance-1201963917/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2017. Festival review. McCarthy finds the documentary deeply sorrowful and effective, and welcomes it wherever political and current-events documentaries are shown. He singles out its unprecedented footage of Raqqa under Islamic State rule and the visible devastation of its exiled survivors. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/city-ghosts-film-review-sundance-2017-967151/) ## Screen Daily — David D'Arcy Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2017. Festival review. The page identifies this as a Sundance review, but the critic’s verdict is unavailable in the visible text. The review’s specific praise or complaint is also unavailable because the article body is behind a registration prompt. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/city-of-ghosts-sundance-review/5113933.article) ## Little White Lies — Trevor Johnston Rating 1/3/4. 21 July 2017. Johnston sees the documentary as a significant, compassionate account that makes the Syrian catastrophe more immediate. He singles out its intimate portrayal of the citizen journalists’ grief and resilience under threat. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/city-of-ghosts) ## Consequence — Dominick Suzanne-Mayer Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 July 2017. The critic finds the documentary harrowing and makes a passionate case for the importance of its subject’s work. They praise its empathetic portraits of Raqqa’s residents and the citizen journalists documenting ISIS atrocities. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2017/07/film-review-city-of-ghosts/) ## HeyUGuys — Dan Brightmore Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). Brightmore calls the documentary compelling, humbling, and essential viewing. He praises its humanizing portrait of the citizen journalists and the heavy personal cost of their work. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/city-of-ghosts-review/) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 July 2017. The critic calls the documentary vital, searing, and a brutally effective argument for compassion toward refugees. He praises its intimate, tense portrayal of Syrian citizen journalists risking their lives to report from Raqqa. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/city-of-ghosts-review-isis-documentary/) ## Paste — Oktay Ege Kozak Rating 8.0. 24 July 2017. Kozak praises the documentary as an informative, pulse-pounding account that keeps its subjects’ humanity at the center. He singles out the brothers watching footage of their father’s execution as especially devastating. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/city-of-ghosts) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2017. Festival review. The headline presents the documentary as a wide-eyed, jaw-dropping look at the battle against ISIS. The page itself was blocked, so the critic’s detailed verdict and specific praise cannot be verified. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/dcoumentary-city-ghosts-wide-eyed-jaw-dropping-look-battle-isis-sundance-review-20170121/?amp=) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2017. Wilkinson praises the documentary as a powerful reminder of the human cost of violence in Syria. She singles out Heineman’s restrained editing, which conveys the horror without always showing death. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/city-of-ghosts-2017-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) --- © 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/city-of-ghosts.md