62
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumAs ever, Egoyan assembles a devoted repertory cast, including Christopher Plummer.
- 80Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumExpresses with uncommon power the highly relevant issue of public indifference to genocide, which is especially well dramatized by a scene with Elias Koteas as an actor playing a Turk.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleThis is a heartfelt piece, and while passion alone can't carry a movie, it sure helps. Ararat is uneven because Egoyan couldn't tell it smoothly.
- 75Chicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonChicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonThis toweringly ambitious picture confronts a brilliant director, Atom Egoyan, with a major historical event and a profound theme.
- 70Dallas ObserverGregory WeinkaufDallas ObserverGregory WeinkaufThe resulting project matters much and should be seen, but how much it'll be FELT depends on your specific level of patience for a director who presumes audience comprehension to be at about a fourth-grade level (at least he's a shoo-in for Hollywood).
- 70Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasEgoyan's oblique, layered attack ultimately pays off, evoking a strong emotional connection between past and present, the historical and the personal, in a flowing, cinematic manner in collaboration with his frequent cameraman, Paul Sarossy. The film makes use of an intoxicating array of Armenian music.
- 63USA TodayMike ClarkUSA TodayMike ClarkHas its moments -- and almost as many subplots.
- 60The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThough typically engaging, Ararat occasionally suffers from what's previously been a virtue in Egoyan's filmmaking. His distancing techniques, rather than sharpening his ability to deal with a subject that lends itself to high emotion -- sometimes just seem distancing.
- 58Portland OregonianShawn LevyPortland OregonianShawn LevyAn impressive work in many regards -- the acting, the photography, the pace -- but it would've been even more so had Egoyan gone with his gut and been less indulgent of his brain.
- 50Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittEgoyan is one of Canada's most ambitious and original filmmakers, but the power of this intricate drama falls short of its aspirations, despite his personal investment in the subject, since he is of Armenian ancestry himself.