69
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleYou could rightly call it a thriller, but a slow-burning one, and a film that’s driven by character, not plot points. And that won’t do in Tinseltown. So enjoy the original, preferably in a theater, and revel in the rich, layered performances of veteran actresses Emmanuelle Devos and Nathalie Baye (men are incidental in this movie, another Hollywood no-no).
- 88The Seattle TimesThe Seattle TimesMoka is a lean, taut dramatic thriller that continually offers delicate surprises as it shifts and evolves, building toward an unexpected yet wholly satisfying conclusion.
- 80The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyThe movie’s climax has sufficient twists and turns for a conventional payoff. But the movie, adapted from a novel by Tatiana de Rosnay, is ultimately more concerned with the genuinely tragic dimensions of the story than its suspense angles.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe sound of the zipper on Diane’s handbag, for example, becomes extremely ominous in Mermoud’s capable hands, while two distinct musical themes, written by Christian Garcia and Gregoire Hetzel, respectively, further enhance the mood and help establish the film’s bona fides as a classy and classical psychological thriller.
- Fascinating in the way it explores the inner lives of these two women, Moka is never quite as tense or compelling on the level of a thriller.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranWith a formidable presence that mainlines emotional intensity, Devos dominates this film, appearing in almost every scene, but she has key support from another of France's most accomplished actresses: the enigmatic, four-time Cesar winner Nathalie Baye.
- 63Washington PostMark JenkinsWashington PostMark JenkinsMoka is a stark, moody mystery that doesn’t actually contain much mystery. Instead, it excels as a character study and a dynamic face-off between two formidable actresses: Emmanuelle Devos and Nathalie Baye.
- 60Village VoiceMelissa AndersonVillage VoiceMelissa AndersonThough it’s a phlegmatic, sometimes stumbling thriller, Moka, directed and co-written by Frédéric Mermoud, still has its share of gripping suspense.
- 50Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenFrédéric Mermoud's film makes an elaborate pretense of honoring the traditions of the observational procedural.