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Susannah Gruder

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Susannah Gruder is a Queens-based writer and critic whose work has appeared in IndieWire, Reverse Shot and Hyperallergic, among other publications.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
There Was, There Was Not (2024) 100% A EDIT “The title of Armenian-American filmmaker Emily Mkrtichian’s documentary is drawn from the traditional opening line of Armenian fairy tales and fables, and the words become a fitting mantra throughout this poetically constructed film” – IndieWire Dec 12, 2024 Full Review Silver Dollar Road (2023) 82% C+ EDIT “The Reels’ story, complete with these ebullient moments, deserves to be told. But it warrants so much more attention to detail, so that we can understand exactly what’s at stake, and how to keep it from happening again. ” – IndieWire Sep 11, 2023 Full Review Full Time (2021) 98% EDIT “While it’s certainly a thrill to watch a car chase under an elevated subway line or the careful choreography of a heist operation, the everyday adrenaline rushes on display in Full Time provoke even more anxiety than the average action movie.” – Reverse Shot Feb 3, 2023 Full Review 5 Seasons of Revolution (2023) 70% B EDIT “It’s a deeply personal depiction of life during wartime, in large part due to Lina’s everpresent voiceover narration. Her diaristic recollections give a loose shape to this otherwise abstract film.” – IndieWire Jan 30, 2023 Full Review The Tuba Thieves (2023) 90% B+ EDIT “O’Daniel brings to life a synesthetic space in which plants whisper and hum to each other, where the air above a forest fire vibrates and where one man’s ASL sign for “sunrise” is infinitely more expressive than the English word alone.” – IndieWire Jan 25, 2023 Full Review Shayda (2023) 97% B+ EDIT “The film retains its overall strength by focusing on its mother-daughter leads, their enduring bond, and their efforts to carve out a bit of serenity in a chaotic world. ” – IndieWire Jan 24, 2023 Full Review Alcarràs (2022) 93% EDIT “It’s an overly studied exercise in the hands-off school of naturalism that lacks the verve of forebears like Lucrecia Martel and Dominga Sotomayor Castillo.” – Reverse Shot Oct 6, 2022 Full Review The African Desperate (2022) 85% B+ EDIT “The story might feel a bit flimsy at times, seeing as it’s centered around whether or not the protagonist will go to a party, but it’s this lightness that makes The African Desperate so unique.” – IndieWire Sep 15, 2022 Full Review Hold Me Tight (2021) 86% A- EDIT “Those who stay invested will be rewarded with an honest and holistic vision -- one that, in following each thread separately, speaks to the rupture that tragedy can bring, and our endless quest to put the pieces back together again.” – IndieWire Sep 8, 2022 Full Review DC League of Super-Pets (2022) 72% B EDIT “Stern and co-writer John Whittington’s clever script is engaging enough for children to enjoy, and even funny enough for adults to emit the occasional chuckle..” – IndieWire Jul 28, 2022 Full Review Anonymous Club (2021) 86% A- EDIT “Anonymous Club is undoubtedly a film that Barnett fans will adore -- but if you're not familiar with her music, or perhaps not that into it, you may emerge a fan by the end. ” – IndieWire Jul 15, 2022 Full Review The Wobblies (1979) 90% EDIT “An astounding and essential portrait of American subversion as seen through the eyes of those who lived it.” – IndieWire Apr 29, 2022 Full Review Windfall (2022) 59% C EDIT “It should be commended, however, for making its flawless setting as claustrophobic for us as it is for the three characters. ” – IndieWire Mar 18, 2022 Full Review Gold (2022) 65% B- EDIT “Efron gives his all to the depiction of a deadly waiting game, delivering a stark, staggering performance in a film peppered with several moments of genuine intrigue.” – IndieWire Mar 10, 2022 Full Review Asking for It (2021) 23% C- EDIT “The film’s erratic editing tries to replicate character development, failing to align us with the main character as she begins her predictable hero’s journey.” – IndieWire Mar 7, 2022 Full Review Oh Mercy! (Roubaix, Une Lumière) (2019) 58% B- EDIT “By doing away with narrative tricks or genre bending, Desplechin puts the focus on the performances, which provide a multifaceted and devastating study of urban desperation.” – Reverse Shot Feb 28, 2022 Full Review Motherless Brooklyn (2019) 65% C- EDIT “Working in genre can be an excuse to play into and explore clichs, but Nortons limp tropes fail to contribute to a broader vision.” – Reverse Shot Feb 28, 2022 Full Review Varda by Agnès (2019) 98% A EDIT “Varda by Agns serves as uniquely satisfying tutorial, not just on how to understand her art, but on how to live creatively.” – Reverse Shot Feb 28, 2022 Full Review Sunless Shadows (2019) 100% A EDIT “Oskoueis compassion, and even admiration for these women is palpablehe and his cinematographer Mehdi Azadi capture them with care and respect, highlighting their thoughtfulness, gentleness, and intelligence. ” – Reverse Shot Feb 28, 2022 Full Review Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020) 99% A EDIT “Dick Johnson Is Dead moves into the realm of autofiction, playing with ideas of truth in storytelling in order to paint a more honest picture of preemptive grief, the feeling so many experience when they think of their parents passing. ” – Reverse Shot Feb 28, 2022 Full Review Beginning (2020) 91% B+ EDIT “While her emotional world remains hidden to us, we nonetheless feel an intimacy with Yana as she nestles herself into the vastness of her environment.” – Reverse Shot Feb 28, 2022 Full Review The Killing of Two Lovers (2020) 93% B- EDIT “It's a film built on moments of tension and release more than plot and dialogue, a good representation of how muddled things can get, and how useless words can be, when a relationship is in jeopardy.” – Reverse Shot Feb 28, 2022 Full Review Titane (2021) 90% B+ EDIT “Ducournaus film starts out hard but strips itself down to a level of softness and sentimentality, examining the armors we establish to shield ourselves from the world, and what it takes to transmute our steely exteriors into something more malleable.” – Reverse Shot Feb 28, 2022 Full Review Petite Maman (2021) 97% 93 EDIT “The relationship between mother and daughter is one often depicted on film, but perhaps never so lovingly as it is here. ” – Reverse Shot Feb 28, 2022 Full Review Playground (2021) 100% B+ EDIT “A harrowing picture of the memories many of us have tried to forget, where school is a warzone rife with violence and bullying, one that children are forced to largely maneuver alone.” – IndieWire Feb 11, 2022 Full Review
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