77
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxAt the heart of this picturesque fable is a truism so shopworn it can barely stand repeating: It's better to give than to receive.
- 91Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumSmith transfers an Iowa-based short story by Randy Russell to India's western Goa region -- and works in Hindi, primarily with novice actors. The result is a story both authentically specific and profoundly global.
- 90The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenIn the manner of a Satyajit Ray film, The Pool avoids melodrama, the better to capture the texture of Venkatesh's vagabond life.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenUplifting without a drop of sap, the tale of a boy's obsession with a glittering swimming pool and how it changes four lives offers numerous pleasures and one of the most satisfying and resonant conclusions to be seen in recent cinema.
- 83The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasIt's a funny, sweet-natured humanist character piece.
- 80SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirA lovely, warm, unforced film that gives you time to get to know its characters and isn't propelled by any artificial narrative conventions,
- 70VarietyRobert KoehlerVarietyRobert KoehlerSmith's utterly natural filmmaking there is impressive.
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceThis heightened consciousness of objects and obligations ballasts the drama-light, class-conscious fable with tactile life.
- This simple film can be quite a great diversion from our every day grind. The camera style, characters, and visual look are all quite impressive, while maintaining an easy accessibility for the audience's eyes. It is only too bad that the film feels so sluggish.
- 40New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierSmith ("American Movie") sees the poetry in everyday people, and lets his rambling story find its own rhythm.