85
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyRogerEbert.comGlenn KennyThis film, directed by Zhao Liang (acclaimed here for his 2009 “Petition”) is a kind of poetic documentary. It’s all images and sounds, no interviews, no talking heads.
- 90Village VoiceCalum MarshVillage VoiceCalum MarshThis is a film about the devastation of Inner Mongolia and the systematic annihilation of its migrant workers, but it is no mere coup d'œil of righteous advocacy. It is a work of film art.
- 90The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergBehemoth proceeds placidly, making it easy to become lulled. Its haunting power grows in retrospect — as if you’ve returned from a journey and can’t believe what you’ve seen.
- 80CineVueJohn BleasdaleCineVueJohn BleasdaleBehemoth is a stunning and moving denunciation of the situation in Inner Mongolia, where the mining industry is permanently changing the landscape.
- 80EmpireDavid ParkinsonEmpireDavid ParkinsonFilled with striking and scarringly disconcerting images of vandalised nature, satanic mills and redundant modernity, this is a mournful tribute to a maligned migrant workforce and a sobering reminder that nothing comes cheap.
- 80The GuardianMike McCahillThe GuardianMike McCahillWhat this exceptionally lucid film-survey reveals is what has to go on at ground level, and beneath the surface, in order to power a powerhouse.
- Living up to the imposing enormity of its title, this doc stimulates both conscience and senses.
- 75The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyZhao, who acts as his own cinematographer, has a great eye for scale and contrast, and the less Behemoth points out its symbolism, the more potent it becomes.
- 75The Film StageJared MobarakThe Film StageJared MobarakThere’s just one thing missing from Zhao Liang‘s visually masterful documentary Behemoth: a before image of what this wasteland of coal and rock used to be before God’s beast was unleashed.