--- title: "Quo Vadis, Aida?: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/quo-vadis-aida/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/quo-vadis-aida" critics_score: 86 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." --- # Quo Vadis, Aida? (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 86 from 12 reviews: 11 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics find Quo Vadis, Aida? a harrowing, humane account of the Srebrenica massacre, with praise centred on Jasna Đuričić’s performance. The reviews repeatedly single out her portrayal of Aida for making the personal consequences of institutional failure painfully clear. Jasmila Žbanić’s direction draws similarly strong approval: critics praise the sustained tension, clear handling of unfolding chaos and restraint around violence. Several stress that the focus on Aida preserves tenderness and individual humanity amid the historical horror. There is little documented disagreement over the film’s central strengths, and eleven of the twelve reviews are positive. Differences lie chiefly in emphasis, from the camerawork’s restless immediacy to the exposure of international apathy. Time Out supplies the lone mixed entry, but its accessible text gives no specific grounds for reservations. The available reviews therefore establish a broad favourable consensus without revealing a clear recurring criticism. ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Rating 5/5. 20 January 2021. O’Sullivan calls the film a strong Oscar contender and an intensely upsetting drama. She praises its shifts in pace and its ability to make moments of tenderness and impending violence feel equally vivid. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/quo-vadis-aida-review-bosnia-serbia-b900466.html) ## IndieWire — Jude Dry Rating A-. 15 September 2020. Festival review. Dry calls the film a gripping, tragic, and humane account of genocide. She praises Žbanić’s slow-building tension and Aida-centered perspective for preserving the characters’ humanity while deepening the tragedy. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/quo-vadis-aida-review-bosnian-genocide-war-drama-1234586497/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 March 2021. Chang praises the film as a taut, shattering account of the Srebrenica massacre that maintains urgency without sensationalizing the violence. He singles out Jasna Đuričić’s physically and emotionally demanding performance and the filmmaking’s restrained immediacy. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-03-09/quo-vadis-aida-review-oscar-international-feature) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2021. Kermode finds the film profoundly moving, engaging viewers while confronting them with the horror of the massacre. He especially praises Jasna Đuričić’s portrayal of Aida and the film’s human heart amid historical atrocity. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/24/quo-vadis-aida-review-srebrenica-massacre-jasmila-zbanic-jasna-duricic) ## Variety — Jessica Kiang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2020. Festival review. Kiang finds the film harrowing, compelling, and morally clear in its account of the Srebrenica massacre. She especially praises Jasna Đuričić’s portrayal of Aida, whose position brings the personal and institutional failures into sharp focus. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/quo-vadis-aida-review-1234758364/) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2021. Parkinson finds the film harrowingly compelling and an unflinching exposure of international apathy. He especially praises its humanising focus on Aida and the restless immediacy of the camerawork. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/quo-vadis-aida/) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 March 2021. The review regards the film as a powerful, punishing drama. It singles out Jasna Đuričić’s performance as a particular strength. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/movies/quo-vadis-aida-review.html) ## Screen Daily — Lee Marshall Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2020. Festival review. The critic describes the film as taut and compelling. The review singles out its direct engagement with the Srebrenica massacre. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/quo-vadis-aida-venice-review/5152820.article) ## Time Out — Eurico de Barros Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 2021. The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is not available in the accessible text. No specific element praised or criticized can be confirmed. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/pt/filmes/quo-vadis-aida-2021) ## The Playlist — Carlos Aguilar Rating A. 10 March 2021. The critic calls the film a masterful, deeply humane work whose tension is nearly unbearable. He especially praises Jasna Đuričić’s restrained, unforgettable performance as a mother fighting to save her family. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/quo-vadis-aida-review-20210310/) ## Deadline — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 March 2021. McCarthy finds the film devastating, lucid, and deeply affecting. He especially praises its immersive, coherent direction amid the unfolding chaos. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2021/03/review-quo-vadis-aida-bosnia-oscars-international-critics-line-1234708882/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2021. Festival review. Wilkinson calls it a hard-hitting drama that sustains profound sadness beneath almost unbearable tension. She praises Jasmila Žbanić’s measured approach and Jasna Đuričić’s finely calibrated performance. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/quo-vadis-aida-2020-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/quo-vadis-aida.md