66
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoGronkjaer's cinematography is pleasing, with beautiful sunsets and tranquil snowscapes. I won't give away the ending, but it might bring a tear to your eye.
- 70VarietyVarietyUsing material shot sporadically over six years, TV-experienced helmer Pernille Rose Gronkjaer builds an affectionate but admirably unsentimental portrait of her eccentric, headstrong protagonists.
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceUnlike far too many human-interest docs today, director Pernille Rose Grønkjær's fantastic little character portrait doesn't rest on the strength of its personality, with prudent attention paid to aesthetic nuances and the growing quasi-love that the titular bickerers have for one another.
- 70SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirAn oddly graceful combination of fairy tale and romantic comedy, set in a forgotten corner of the world.
- 67The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayBetween their bickering, Grønkjær's offscreen prompting, and the sappy, ubiquitous soundtrack, The Monastery is like the opposite of "Into Great Silence."
- 63New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsIt may be that Gronkjaer couldn't get the nun to open up to her. But not knowing much about her creates an awkward imbalance that Vig, fascinating as he is, can't overcome.
- 50Film ThreatPete Vonder HaarFilm ThreatPete Vonder HaarA curious little film. On the surface, it's a story about one man's mission to create an Orthodox monastery in Denmark, and along the way it manages to say something about everyone's desire to be remembered after they pass away.
- 50The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenDespite some pretty seasonal photography and evocative scenes of the nuns’ rigorous daily rituals, which involve many hours of prayer, The Monastery is a flighty, disorganized film with a blurry timeline and a wandering attention span.