--- title: "Sister Midnight: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/sister-midnight/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/sister-midnight" critics_score: 73 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." --- # Sister Midnight (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 13 reviews: 8 positive, 5 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Sister Midnight’s strange dark comedy, with praise clustering around Radhika Apte’s expressive, often largely wordless performance as Uma. The reviews repeatedly credit her physical acting with making the film funny and emotionally engaging, even when its storytelling becomes unpredictable. Its carefully composed images, vivid colour and urban nightscapes also draw approval, alongside an appetite for absurdity that many critics find refreshing. Reservations centre on cohesion: several critics find the film overstuffed or episodic, with striking images receiving more attention than character and ideas. The spread runs from enthusiastic to mixed, with no outright negative assessments among these reviews. Vulture sees the tonal shifts as growing naturally from character, while Variety finds the changes of genre emotionally and tonally incongruous. That disagreement captures the main divide: how far the film’s inventiveness sustains its emotional force. ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2025. Ebiri finds the film colorful, moving, and deeply odd, praising how its tonal shifts arise naturally from character. He especially singles out Radhika Apte’s expressive performance and the emotional depth she gives Uma. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-sister-midnight-comedy-drama-and-horror-in-mumbai.html) ## IndieWire — Proma Khosla Rating B+. 23 May 2025. Festival review. Khosla praises the film as a confident, original dark comedy with a humorous and human heart. She singles out Radhika Apte’s commanding, largely wordless performance and the expressive cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/sister-midnight-movie-review-1235060156/) ## Little White Lies — Anton Bitel Rating 3/4/4. 11 March 2025. Bitel finds the film a droll, strange delight that resists conventional narrative expectations. He praises its playful horror references and its celebration of marginalised oddballs. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/sister-midnight) ## The Guardian — Wendy Ide Rating 4/5. 16 March 2025. Ide finds the film wildly audacious, macabre and immensely entertaining, despite noting that not every creative risk pays off. She particularly praises Radhika Apte’s endlessly expressive physical performance as Uma. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/16/sister-midnight-review-karan-kandhari-radhika-apte-marriage-gone-wrong-mumbai-black-comedy) ## Time Out — Hanna Flint Rating 4/5. 7 November 2024. The review presents the film as a feral, feminist fable with a delectable, vampiric edge. It singles out the film’s bite as a key strength. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/sister-midnight-review-2024) ## Screen Daily — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2024. Festival review. The accessible text presents the film positively, calling Radhika Apte sensational. It singles out her performance in the dark Mumbai-set comedy. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/sister-midnight-cannes-review/5193434.article) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 68/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2025. Abe­le finds the film captivating and mischievously inventive, though its episodic unpredictability prevents its ideas from fully coalescing. He praises Radhika Apte’s commanding, often hilariously hapless performance and the film’s vivid visual curiosity. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-05-23/sister-midnight-review-radhika-apte-karan-kandhari) ## Empire — Yasmin Omar Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 14 March 2025. Omar finds the debut engaging and daring, but overstuffed and uneven. She praises Kandhari’s bold mid-film shift while criticizing the inconsistent characterization that follows. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/sister-midnight/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2025. The critic finds the film visually inventive and witty, but says its picture-making sometimes overwhelms its ideas. They praise its lush imagery and sharp eye for absurdity, while faulting the superficial use of hijras and an underpowered final stretch. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/sister-midnight-lush-hallucinatory-journey-through-arranged-marriage) ## Variety — Siddhant Adlakha Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the film initially enrapturing but ultimately overcommitted to its style, with its bold ideas losing force. They praise Chhaya Kadam’s performance and the inventive stop-motion imagery, while criticizing the later genre turns as emotionally and tonally incongruous. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/sister-midnight-review-1236016966/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2025. Kermode finds the film vivid, absorbing, and worth seeking out. She particularly praises Radhika Apte’s intense performance and the film’s carefully composed visuals, colour, and sound. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/sister-midnight-2024-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Paste — Jesse Hassenger Rating 8.0/10. 16 May 2025. Hassenger calls the film one of the year’s best so far, praising its strange, transfixing blend of dark comedy and identity themes. He singles out Radhika Apte’s near-feral performance and the vibrant cinematography of its urban nightscapes. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/karan-kandhari/sister-midnight-movie-review-2025-radtika-apte) ## The Skinny — Stefania Sarrubba Rating ★★★. 10 March 2025. The review calls the film a rebellious, spirited debut with plenty of bite, despite thin cohesion and occasional derivativeness. It praises the lively, eclectic soundtrack that accompanies Uma’s increasingly surreal experiences. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/sister-midnight-2025) --- © 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/sister-midnight.md