73
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100RogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarRogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarWith its low-fi pleasures of see-through ghosts and TV screens as portals, the film reaffirms how ingenious the medium can be in the grasp of the right artist. From one segment to the next, the mechanics of this adventure repeatedly astound us.
- 83The PlaylistCharles BarfieldThe PlaylistCharles BarfieldIn a film steeped in loss and grief, Leonor Will Never Die, as the title implies, is ultimately a beautiful, life-affirming celebration of the power of film and art to heal. Yes, even ‘80s action films.
- 80Screen RantNadir SamaraScreen RantNadir SamaraTo say Leonor Will Never Die is making bold choices would be an understatement. One never sees the comedy coming, the film is gorgeous, and the script is easily one of the year's best.
- 80PolygonKatie RifePolygonKatie RifeA sense of play and joyful collaboration permeates Leonor Will Never Die, even as it engages with serious issues of life, death, and legacy. It reminds us that love, like creativity, is a living thing, and that both are meant to be shared.
- 75Paste MagazineJacob OllerPaste MagazineJacob OllerAs wacky as it all sounds (and there are certainly punchlines to appreciate), Escobar’s creation can be shockingly moving.
- 70VarietyAmy NicholsonVarietyAmy NicholsonEscobar is after something deeper than parody. She wants audiences to question how fictional strongmen have been idealized as real-world saviors.
- 67Austin ChronicleSteve DavisAustin ChronicleSteve DavisAlthough its ambitions often exceed its reach, the meta-mad Filipino film Leonor Will Never Die (a terrible Americanized title) bursts with imaginative impulses, scoring slightly more hits than misses in a Charlie Kaufmanesque storyline that flip-flops between reality and fantasy using the tropey device of a movie within a movie.
- 65Film ThreatFilm ThreatThe film builds everything up just to smash it and laugh, like a kid playing with LEGO.
- 60The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe effect is by turns comical, maddening and endearing as Escobar reaches for more ambitious ideas about the political appeal of the authoritarian hero; but “Leonor” is finally too mired in its film-within-the-film frolics for more serious themes to gain traction.
- 50TheWrapSimon AbramsTheWrapSimon AbramsFrancisco’s committed and surprisingly nuanced performance makes it easier to invest in the movie’s otherwise unexplained style of magical realism.