--- title: "The Captive: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-captive/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-captive" critics_score: 54 critics_reviews: 9 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." --- # The Captive (2000): what the critics said Critics' score 54 from 9 reviews: 3 positive, 2 mixed, 4 negative. The reviews are sharply divided on Akerman’s Proust adaptation, with praise centred on her controlled visual style and treatment of passion and possession. Admirers find the patient camera movements and carefully composed frames compelling, while even some sceptics acknowledge the precision of individual scenes. The New Yorker sees a distinctive cinematic melodrama, finding suspense in its scenes and a productive connection to Hitchcock and Godard. The main disagreement is over whether that formal control makes the relationship absorbing or keeps it remote. Several critics find the solemn staging emotionally distancing, with long takes and meticulous compositions suppressing the story’s fascination. Variety offers one of the strongest objections, arguing that repetitive dialogue and an uneventful narrative overwhelm the insights into possessiveness. The spread is wide: what supporters value as patient and strange, detractors find dull or lifeless, leaving little agreement about the film’s emotional force. ## IndieWire — twhalliii Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 March 2006. The writer calls the film amazing and strongly admires Akerman’s distinctive, patient style. They particularly praise her camera movement and carefully composed frames. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/news/general/liveblogging-la-captive-227851/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 2010. Brody gives the film a strongly positive assessment, praising Akerman’s transformation of Proust into a distinctive cinematic melodrama. He singles out its suspenseful scenes and modernist dialogue with Hitchcock and Godard. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/dvd-of-the-week-the-captive) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). The review says Akerman is back in top form with a strange but compelling adaptation of Proust. It singles out the film’s compelling take on the novel, set in just-about-modern-day Paris. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/la-captive) ## Screen Daily — Benny Crick Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2000. The available page identifies this as a review, but its critical verdict is not visible. The review’s specific praise or complaint cannot be determined from the accessible text. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-captive-la-captive/404029.article) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 3/5. Parkinson finds the adaptation intriguing as a study of passion and possession, but says its solemn staging makes it hard to engage with. He praises Akerman’s controlled visual style while arguing that it distances viewers from the disturbing story. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-7r5dbo/the-captive/) ## Empire — Bob McCabe Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. McCabe finds the film’s investigation of passion intriguing but says its solemnity ultimately suppresses its fascination. He singles out the distancing effect of its long takes and meticulous compositions. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/captive-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 27 April 2001. Bradshaw finds the film opaque and emotionally obscure, with its study of jealousy less compelling than comparable works. He praises a bathing scene whose glass screen elegantly conveys both eroticism and estrangement. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/apr/27/culture.reviews) ## Variety — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2000. Festival review. Rooney finds the film sterile, lifeless, and frustrating, arguing that its cerebral solemnity drains the story of impact. He credits its observations about the desire to possess another person, but says repetitive dialogue and an uneventful narrative overwhelm them. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/the-captive-1200462208/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 2 May 2001. The critic finds the film dull and its relationship lacking continuity. He singles out the characters’ tedious routines and the mismatch between the thriller-like setup and what follows. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-captive-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © 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/the-captive.md