Most critics respond warmly to Rose, with Sandra Hüller’s performance the clearest point of agreement. The reviews repeatedly praise her restraint, emotional force and ability to make the character compelling within Schleinzer’s austere approach. Praise also clusters around the precise black-and-white cinematography, historical detail and controlled storytelling. Several critics find the film affecting as well as intellectually engaging, particularly in its challenge to rigid gender roles; the a cappella score also draws praise.
Reservations concern the limits of that control rather than the acting. Slant Magazine finds the film engrossing but argues that its narration constrains its treatment of Rose’s gender. Elsewhere, the deliberate pace and grimness are generally treated as hurdles the film overcomes, not decisive weaknesses. Enthusiasm ranges from measured approval to emphatic praise, with little substantive dissent evident in the available summaries, though one review’s verdict cannot be established from its inaccessible text.