77
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasThis splendid film is no mere polemic, for Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, often called the first lady of Iranian cinema, is above all an accomplished storyteller and dramatist who understands the evocative power of sound and image.
- 88Boston GlobeWesley MorrisBoston GlobeWesley MorrisMore a bleak docu-melodrama than an esoteric morality play.
- 80Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonBani-Etemad's generational melodrama observes a blue-collar dynastic collapse worthy of Lillian Hellman, but stays steadfastly fixed on the quotidian of Tehran life.
- 80The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensThe real protagonist is the family itself -- a fragile, complex organism undermined by internal conflict and menaced by the cruelty and indifference of the society around them.
- 80L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorUnder the Skin is distinguished, like so much contemporary Iranian cinema, by the way its striking visuals and strategic use of sound tell the underlying story.
- 80SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirSolidly made and sometimes quite moving chronicle of a working-class family in Tehran.
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittThis gritty drama doesn't rank with the greatest Iranian films, but its urban characters offer an interesting change from the nation's best-known productions, which generally center on rural subjects.
- 75New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanWatching Tuba's proud girls disappear into anonymous clouds of chadors says more than any political diatribe could, and Bani-Etemad is wise enough to know it.
- 70The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsAt times, Bani Etemad succeeds only too well at capturing the confusing rush of Adineh's family life--the film presents more subplots than it can follow thoroughly, until its final act snaps all that's come before into sharp focus.