--- title: "Dear Comrades!: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/dear-comrades/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/dear-comrades" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 15 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." --- # Dear Comrades! (2020): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 15 reviews: 10 positive, 5 mixed, 0 negative. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating 5/5. 14 January 2021. Bradshaw calls the film a rage-filled triumph and a passionate drama of fear. He praises its stark re-creation of the massacre and its depiction of the bureaucracy and secrecy surrounding it. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/14/dear-comrades-review-andrei-konchalovsky-yuliya-vysotskaya) ## Variety — Jessica Kiang Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2020. Festival review. Kiang praises the film as a meticulously crafted and compassionate reclamation of a suppressed massacre. She especially singles out the stark black-and-white cinematography and its carefully composed frames. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/dear-comrades-review-andrei-konchalovsky-1234761044/) ## The i Paper — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 January 2021. Macnab calls the film powerful and affecting, praising its vivid depiction of the Soviet system from within. He singles out Julia Vysotskaya’s searing performance as a grief-stricken woman torn between political loyalty and love for her daughter. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/dear-comrades-review-russias-entry-oscars-immense-power-828785) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2020. Lane calls the film Konchalovsky’s masterpiece and praises its calm, controlled artistry. He singles out Julia Vysotskaya’s deeply affecting performance as a devoted Communist driven to search for her daughter amid the massacre’s aftermath. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/04/dear-comrades-is-andrei-konchalovskys-masterpiece) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 9 February 2021. Chang gives the film a strongly positive verdict as a clear-eyed and visually striking reckoning with historical repression. He especially praises Julia Vysotskaya’s performance and the film’s depiction of the government’s swift, comprehensive cover-up. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-02-09/review-dear-comrades-review-andrei-konchalovsky) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 14 January 2021. The review praises the historical drama as gripping and sharply angry toward the Soviet system. It singles out its bitter laughs and icy fury. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/dear-comrades) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Rating B. 7 September 2020. Festival review. Kohn finds the film a fiery, suspenseful drama that gives the massacre a human face. He especially praises its assured visual composition and the way Lyudmila’s search exposes her conflicting loyalties. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/dear-comrades-review-thrilling-soviet-drama-puts-a-human-face-on-russian-massacre-1234584765/) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 January 2021. The review sees the film as a compelling dramatisation of a state atrocity and its cover-up. It praises the monochrome, Academy-ratio style while noting that the period pastiche is not the film’s main purpose. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/dear-comrades-2020-andrei-konchalovsky-1962-novocherkassk-massacre-drama) ## Screen Daily — Jonathan Romney Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2020. Festival review. The page identifies this as a Venice review, but the review text is behind a registration paywall. Its verdict and specific praise or criticism are not available in the accessible page. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/dear-comrades-venice-review/5152575.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2020. The page could not be read, so the critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. The URL identifies the item as a review of the matching film. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/24/movies/dear-comrades-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole Rating 2.5/4. 7 September 2020. Cole finds the film effective in its depiction of the Soviet party’s response to a workers’ protest, but says its second half grows meandering and emotionally muted. He praises the harrowing portrayal of the state crackdown and the ironic final turn toward Soviet-cinema style. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-dear-comrades-takes-on-the-soviet-system-old-school-style/) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Rating C. 3 February 2021. Vishnevetsky argues the film turns a massacre into nationalist political spin and is weakened by static direction and flat speeches. He singles out the opening stretch’s humor and the later tension as welcome strengths. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/russia-s-oscar-hopeful-dear-comrades-is-spin-disguised-1846181391) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 11 January 2021. Kermode calls the film a powerful tribute to the massacre’s victims and urges viewers not to miss it. She especially praises Yuliya Vysotskaya’s restrained performance and the film’s precise, shifting cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/dear-comrades-2020-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Deadline — Anna Smith Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2021. Smith finds the film devastating and meticulously crafted, though it starts slowly before building into intense political drama. She especially praises Yuliya Vysotskaya’s complex, remarkable performance at its center. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2021/02/dear-comrades-review-russia-oscar-entry-international-critics-line-1234689696/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint is accessible. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/dear-comrades-venice-review-20200908/) --- © 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/dear-comrades.md