City of Dreams: reviews

What the critics say average 5.1 from 24 outlets

• 9.0 Alliance of Women Film JournalistsT.J. Callahan The cinematography and score add to a thriller that is more frightening than any horror movie out there Read
• 8.5 Film ThreatRyan Devir City of Dreams is not perfect, but it is extremely well crafted, and as such, I highly recommend it Read
• 7.5 Galveston Daily NewsDustin Chase Impassioned purpose and well-designed suspense result in a compelling, albeit flawed, call to action Read
• 7.0 Loud and Clear ReviewsGeorgi Petkov City of Dreams is not without its flaws in its execution, which could very well be attributed to a lack of directorial experience or artistic self-service, but this is all largely overpowered by how much the film needs to exist Read
• 7.0 Me gusta el cineSebastián Zavala Kahn It isn't a traditionally entertaining experience, but it is one that, despite not being for everyone, deserves to be seen Read
• 7.0 FangirlishLissete Lanuza Sáenz Dreamer is not just a story that glorifies people’s perseverance through pain, it’s a story about bad circumstances and how people do their best to survive Read
• 7.0 The AU ReviewPeter Gray Sadly, but also quite truthfully, it’s a harsh drama that touches on the subjects of immigration, human trafficking, and one’s own determination in fighting for what’s right Read
• 6.0 Common Sense MediaJeffrey M. Anderson Tackling horrific subject matter, this movie manages to avoid being too cumbersome or preachy, focusing instead on its movements and rhythms and its likable, sympathetic lead character Read
• 6.0 Combustible CelluloidJeffrey M. Anderson The drama is heightened, like a brutal, modern-day Oliver Twist, and Jesús takes it all in with his huge, honest eyes Read
• 5.0 Movie NationRoger Moore Ramchandani delivers a dazzling third act chase, on foot, through L.A.’s sweatshop district, a nervy, hand-held sprint that finally gets this static story up on its feet Read
• 5.0 Geek Vibes NationJaylan Salah City of Dreams is a sepia-filter nightmare. Though it leans toward a pit of hopeless despair, the story still serves as an eye-opener to the resilience of children’s spirits Read
• 5.0 Dennis Schwartz Movie ReviewsDennis Schwartz Suffering from trite dialogue, stereotypical characters and a contrived screenplay, the bilingual drama never passes the credibility test Read
• 5.0 Mark Reviews MoviesMark Dujsik The movie's most daring and challenging elements exist only between the lines of its straightforward and calculated narrative Read
• 5.0 Flickering MythRobert Kojder Writer/director Mohit Ramchandani’s City of Dreams does such a stomach-churning job of depicting how insidiously border smuggling can be a deceptive means of selling a child into an underground sweatshop that it becomes twice as infuriating when the screenplay regularly falls into contrived nonsense Read
• 5.0 SportskeedaSanchari Ghosh In short, the film was not allowed to be what it could have been, a narrative on human trafficking with socio-political complexity Read
• 4.1 Spectrum CultureErik Reeds Like with its spiritual predecessor in Sound of Freedom, the flaw is not in its highlighting of an incredibly pressing issue, but rather the puerile view it seems to take regarding its nature Read
• 4.0 Rincón de CineLaura Hiros A film that isn't easy to watch, and one that visually leaves a lot to be desired, with exaggerated, dark sets and heavy cinematography; even so, there's no doubt the story is worth it Read
• 4.0 CinemalogueTodd Jorgenson As worthwhile as its message might be, this bilingual drama about the horrors of the immigrant experience doesn’t bring much new to the conversation Read
• 4.0 MovieJawnGary M. Kramer City of Dreams never aims for subtlety, which is its biggest failing Read
• 4.0 The Movie RevueAnthony Francis City of Dreams is a sporadically involving, but ultimately flawed call to arms Read
• 3.0 In Review OnlineDhruv Goyal Mohit Ramchandani’s City Of Dreams is, in actuality, a cinema of nightmares Read
• 2.0 VarietyCarlos Aguilar Ramchandani’s baffling screenplay contains the most obvious, stock archetypes of people recurrent in Hollywood’s uninteresting depictions of Latino communities Read
• 1.2 Slant MagazineMark Hanson But this perspective doesn’t so much resemble a realistic peek into the modern slavery of immigrants in America as it does grist for the torture porn mill Read
• 0.0 Roger EbertMonica Castillo It is another advocacy film without answers, pretending that the mere act of bringing awareness to a problem solves it Read