--- title: "Palestine 36: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/palestine-36/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/palestine-36" critics_score: 72 critics_reviews: 13 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." --- # Palestine 36 (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 72 from 13 reviews: 10 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Palestine 36, praising its account of Palestinian history and the emotional weight it gives to individual lives within a large ensemble. Praise centres on the committed performances, detailed period settings and evocative use of archival footage, with several reviews finding the connections between past and present particularly affecting. The village scenes and relationships draw approval for making the history accessible without losing its human consequences. Reservations cluster around how much the film tries to cover: characters can seem underdeveloped, dialogue overly explanatory and the interconnected stories thinly spread. The reviews differ on pacing, finding it either purposeful or stolid, though most regard these shortcomings as limits rather than reasons to dismiss the film. Deadline offers the clearest dissent, finding the ensemble uneven, the historical context insufficiently developed and the visual choices familiar. The spread is mostly favourable, but enthusiasm for the subject does not produce agreement about the storytelling. ## The Hollywood Reporter — Sheri Linden Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 November 2025. Linden finds the film vivid, stirring and resonant, with a clear Palestinian perspective that still allows for nuance. She especially praises its evocative archival footage and richly detailed sense of place. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/palestine-36-review-oscar-submission-1236416773/) ## Variety — Murtada Elfadl Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2025. Festival review. Elfadl finds the film ambitious, emotionally resonant, and effective in joining intimate lives to sweeping history. He especially praises its ensemble performances and detailed period visuals, while faulting Robert Aramayo’s caricatured military captain. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/palestine-36-review-1236514104/) ## Little White Lies — Marcel Steinbauer-Lewis Rating 3/4/3. 31 October 2025. The critic finds the film engaging and polished, though predictable and sometimes reduced to headline-style storytelling. They praise its careful performances and its most affecting moments, which connect historical footage with the present. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/palestine-36) ## Screen Daily — Lee Marshall Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2025. Marshall finds the film a passionate, timely and thoughtful historical epic. He praises Jacir’s brisk, interconnected storytelling and its emotional focus on village life and the friendship between two children. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/palestine-36-review-palestines-oscar-entry-is-stirring-historical-drama-from-annemarie-jacir/5209990.article) ## IndieWire — Ritesh Mehta Rating B-. 5 September 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the sprawling historical drama overambitious but resonant. He praises its period and cultural specificity, while faulting its quilt-like structure for struggling to convey the history and develop its characters. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/palestine-36-review-1235149102/) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 March 2026. Abele finds the historical drama broad and occasionally overstuffed, but ultimately vital and worthy of its place. He praises its sweeping, detailed depiction of a rarely represented history and the committed cast. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-03-27/palestine-36-review-annemarie-jacir-jeremy-irons) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2025. The critic finds the film an engaging, accessible historical primer, despite broad characterisations and expositional dialogue. The affecting conclusion is singled out for shedding the period drama’s gloss and speaking directly to the present. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/palestine-36-broad-primer-complex-period-palestinian-history) ## The New Yorker — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 2026. Chang finds the film an ambitious, anti-colonialist historical drama whose collective view of resistance distinguishes it from the companion film. He praises its evocative images of pre-Nakba Palestine and conflicted characters, though some can feel stiff as rhetorical mouthpieces. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-current-cinema/two-prosecutors-palestine-36-and-the-tribulations-of-resistance-in-the-thirties) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 2026. Ebiri finds the film absorbing and worth seeing for its ambitious portrayal of an overlooked historical period, though he considers it compromised. He praises its sweep and historical perspective but criticizes the thinly spread narrative and underdeveloped protagonist. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-palestine-36-an-absorbing-new-historical-epic.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 28 October 2025. Bradshaw finds the film heartfelt and emotionally stirring, though stolidly paced and sometimes overly didactic. He praises its persuasive performances and its forceful reminder of a history often omitted from British schools. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oct/28/palestine-36-review-annemarie-jacir) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 19 March 2026. The URL identifies this as a review of *Palestine 36*, but the page content is inaccessible. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/movies/palestine-36-review.html) ## Eye for Film — Casper Borges Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 9 November 2025. Borges finds the film compelling and politically resonant, praising Jacir’s patient pacing and its portrayal of faces conveying fine emotional details. He regrets that it could provide more historical context about the aftermath of the First World War. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/palestine-36-2025-film-review-by-casper-borges) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 27 March 2026. Wise finds the ensemble drama uneven, with its political and historical context only deftly sketched and some nuance missing. He praises it as a decent attempt to explain the roots of the conflict, while criticizing its familiar visual tropes. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2026/03/palestine-36-review-annemarie-jacir-robert-aramayo-1236767679/) --- © 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/palestine-36.md