79
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisTogether with his extraordinary performers, Mr. Chéreau breathes life into characters who long ago set a course for death.
- 91The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasIn Chéreau's hands, Gabrielle has an operatic quality that throws the repressive environment into sharp relief; the film works like a pressure cooker, seething with bottled passions that intermittently burst through with startling cruelty and violence.
- 90Village VoiceDennis LimVillage VoiceDennis LimAt once robust and ethereal, this is an existential ghost story, with fresh blood pulsing through its veins.
- 90SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirA haunting and riveting work, unlike anything else you can see at the movies and as such an explicit challenge to the unambitious, anesthetic character of most contemporary cinema. But is it easy, or delightful, or fun? It is not.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumGreggory anchors Gabrielle in manly bewilderment and rage, while Huppert claws the title character's way to self-awareness.
- 70Chicago ReaderChicago ReaderThis highly stylized portrait of a loveless marriage at the beginning of the 20th century merges a claustrophobic theatricality with dazzlingly cinematic wide-screen compositions (the sumptuous cinematography is by Eric Gautier).
- 70The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterGabrielle inspires mixed feelings; it is dialogue heavy but a treat for the eye.
- 70VarietyDerek ElleyVarietyDerek ElleyThough it won't appeal to everyone, the concoction actually works, thanks to Huppert and Greggory's powerful negative chemistry.
- 63New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanChereau keeps us locked inside their suffocatingly unhappy home, making for an intensely theatrical chamber piece.
- 50New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickA chilly, pretentious and talky drama.