---
title: "Wanda: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/wanda/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/wanda"
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 7
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."
---

# Wanda (1970): what the critics said

Critics' score 77 from 7 reviews: 5 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics respond warmly to Wanda, with praise clustering around its close observation of hardship, Loden’s performance and the rough grain of its photography. The reviews describe a compassionate character study, finding vulnerability, resilience and unforced feeling in her acting. The New Yorker particularly values the physical force of the handheld cinematography, while other positive accounts praise the calm direction and the beauty found in harsh surroundings.

The recorded scores range from mixed to strongly positive, with five positive assessments and no negative ones, but the reasons for the lower ratings remain unclear. The New York Times review is only partially accessible, with no identifiable verdict, while The Playlist’s text is unavailable. Neither therefore supplies a confirmed objection to set against the praise. The available commentary suggests broad agreement; the incomplete sources prevent a reliable account of where reservations lie.

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2018. 

Chang regards Loden’s film as an astonishing, still-vital landmark and a searingly honest character study. He especially praises its grainy visual texture, which finds unexpected beauty in Wanda’s harsh surroundings.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-wanda-review-20180803-story.html)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2010. 

Brody gives the film an appreciative assessment, describing its approach as intimate and formally distinctive. He especially praises the jolting physical power of its textures and handheld cinematography.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/wanda)

## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen

Rating 4/5. 29 March 2019. 

Bowen praises the film’s compassionate, finely observed portrait of hardship and its rough-and-tumble Criterion presentation. He singles out Loden’s performance for its expressive blend of naturalism and pathos.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/blu-ray-review-barbara-lodens-wanda-on-the-criterion-collection/)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1969. 

The review finds the film increasingly insightful and impactful. It praises Loden’s calm direction and her vulnerable, resilient performance.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1969/film/reviews/wanda-1117796191/)

## Time Out — DP

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review presents the film as subtly picaresque. It singles out its 16mm photography, blown up to 35mm, and the wanderings of its central character.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/wanda)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2006. 

The page appears to be a review of the 1970 film, but its verdict is unavailable. The accessible content does not reveal what the critic singled out for praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/12/movies/new-dvds-wanda.html)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 27 July 2018. 

The page was blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be confirmed. No praise or complaint from the review was available to identify.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/wanda-review-20180727/)

---
© 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/wanda.md