76
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Boston GlobeBoston GlobeA remarkable look at the people behind an organization that understands its limitations.
- 85NPRElla TaylorNPRElla TaylorMore than anything, though, Living in Emergency leaves us wanting to know more about what makes these four people tick differently from the rest of us -- we who balk at anything riskier than signing petitions and joining Facebook protest groups.
- 80VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibWith rare candor and a refreshing lack of piety, first-timers and combat-weary veterans exhibit their camaraderie, euphoria and burnout as the camera documents their struggles with logistics, horror, death and self-doubt.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThese are people at the frontline of idealism in action, working to alleviate suffering, one patient at a time, in some of the most devastated places on Earth.
- 80Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternLiving in Emergency is anything but bleeding-heart propaganda.
- 80The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottThe extent of the need around the world is so enormous and overwhelming that the efforts of the doctors in this sobering film seem both vitally necessary and woefully inadequate.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasDynamic, informal and observant yet, while never grueling, it offers a constant provocative contrast between backgrounds of spectacular and beautiful natural scenery and primitive living conditions.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoSan Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoLiving in Emergency is sobering, in part because it powerfully conveys that, despite the group's heroic efforts, its impact is "a drop in a sea of oceans." There's never enough time, supplies or volunteers, but, as one of the doctors notes, "the demand is pretty much infinite."
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceThe doctors' motivations remain somewhat enigmatic, even as the two veterans emerge as more fully drawn characters.
- 60Time OutNicolas RapoldTime OutNicolas RapoldDocumentarian Mark N. Hopkins gives us a mature look at the bracing yet very human personalities attracted to crisis.