75
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90TheWrapCarlos AguilarTheWrapCarlos AguilarPrecisely written and deliberately shot, José, a Guatemala-set LGBTQ character examination from Chinese-born director Li Cheng, is a movie preoccupied with the private tragedy of unfulfilled impulses and aspirations as a result of widespread homophobia and emotional blackmail.
- 90Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJosé is hardly the first movie to spotlight a young person navigating their homosexuality in a repressive and perilous environment. Nonetheless, this sophomore feature from Chinese-born director Li Cheng, who co-wrote with George F. Roberson, feels like a singular and essential entry in that subset of LGBTQ coming-of-age films with an international beat.
- 88RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireRogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireThe satisfactions of José as a whole offers are considerable, and they begin with the human element. Like the Italian neorealist classics from which it descends, the film has a keen appreciation for the lives of people who maintain a stubborn dignity and resolve under the challenges of poverty and other hardships.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreThe scenario here is soapy and a tad familiar. But Cheng’s vivid depiction of the life going on all around his characters . . . enriches the story and makes José, his life, his world and his predicament something anyone can relate to.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThis is a wisp of a film that for many will lack payoff, but it has a depth of feeling, strong sense of frustration, and hunger for growth and change that heighten involvement. Its sensitive portrait of being young and gay in an unaccommodating culture also makes it deserving of attention.
- 70Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganScreen DailyFionnuala HalliganNotable for the crispness of the lensing, Jose is deceptively simple but punches above its slight weight.
- 70The New York TimesKristen Yoonsoo KimThe New York TimesKristen Yoonsoo KimThe film delicately depicts the hardship of being gay in a Catholic culture and the pressure for machismo in a crime-ridden country.
- 63Slant MagazineDiego SemereneSlant MagazineDiego SemereneLi Cheng gets much closer to capturing his characters’ predicaments when he trusts the images alone.