Shirkers

  • 2018


MOVIE IS cinematic fascinating original compelling unassuming
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Positive Reviews 63
Negative reviews 3
Average Rating 4.0/5
cinematic fascinating original compelling unassuming

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  • Positive
  • Negative
2.0
With Shirkers, Tan doesnt indulge in nostalgia, but rather evokes an un calculated, offbeat sensibility that feels distant from our current algorithmi .. Av Club
4.5
With the film footage already displaying a bright color palette and a fantastical narrative where Tan plays an assassin, it inspires a dreaminess itse .. Rogerebert
5.0
Its almost too painful a thought: Where could have the careers of women directors have gone if they hadnt been thwarted by sexism Rogerebert
3.0
But it keeps enough suspense and tension going to hold viewer interest until the mystery is solved. Common Sense Media
4.5
Having established such potent themes and an intriguing central mystery, Shirkers falls short of a satisfying solution by its final third. Indie Wire
3.0
Shirkers is a documentary about the production of an uncompleted movie, but it doubles as an upgraded version of the missing project itself. Indie Wire
4.5
But she seems intent on moving forward and this project may well be the vehicle for it. Variety
4.0
A compelling mlange of Tans original 16 millimeter footage, present day interviews with her still scarred crew mates (including friends Jasmine Ng and .. Time Out
4.0
Its both a nostalgic throwback to 80s and 90s Singapore, where the filmmakers artistic appetite blossomed, and an emotional reconciliation with her pa .. Time Out
5.0
The result is a joyous and funny recollection of a youth when anything felt possible and it could be a big hit if it gets the wide distribution it des .. The Guardian
4.4
Shirkers was a neo Godardian, existential pastiche of zombie and serial killer movies with magic of cinema touches straight out of Melies; its plot is ..
5.0
But they were unusual people who liked unusual things in a place which put the idea of conforming above all else and made an unusual film. Helped by a .. Screen Daily
4.5
Tan composes her surreal story of creativity and loss with the kind of boundless wriggliness one imagines her original film might have been imbued wit .. Vulture
4.5
The Shirkers that Tan has made is a wry and wistful portrait of the artist as a young punk. The Hollywood Reporter
4.0
This is especially surprising as those original clips, shot on the streets of Singapore with a cast of family and friends, are bright and quirky and i .. The New York Times
3.5
As a portrait of female friendship alone, of two punk teens from a geographically and culturally isolated nation preparing to take the world by storm, ..
3.0
This documentary is about all the effort that went into making a film in 1992, as well as detective work to track down a mysterious hustler who manipu .. Lariat
4.0
The thought that what could have been a minor, bursting with youthful vigor masterpiece has vanished into thin air still gnaws at her. Rolling Stone
4.0
Tan tells us that they wrote to Kodak and got free color film, which gives it this beautiful, warm texture, making all the colorful outfits and costum .. Pop Matters
2.0
This is a documentary about the making of a film that disappeared, pilfered away by one of Tans now deceased teachers, Georges Cardona. The Wrap
3.0
The Monitor is a peculiar little publication thats hard for the world to figure out. Cs Monitor
4.5
Its a consolation to know that Sandi Tan has been able, all these years later, to produce this incisive and compelling cinematic version of her story. Film Inquiry
5.0
The central triangle of women in Madelines Madeline offers stringent, fierce, yet delicately detailed performances, extracting new twists and deep fur .. New Yorker
3.0
It evokes legitimate wistfulness for the movie that could have been; Shirkers might not have been a masterpiece, but from the footage it looks well sh .. The Film Stage
3.0
Sandi Tans film manages to be so much more than a chronicle of an already incredible story, the story of a lost could have been arthouse masterpiece b .. Consequence Of Sound
4.5
In that way, the new Shirkers is a kind of punk feminist project a deeply personal, fabulously engrossing, visually assured bit of first person creati .. Vox
3.0
At once, its deeply cinematic and a love letter to renegade cinema. The Play List
5.0
The footage is eye popping a cinematic treasure and gorgeous time capsule for pre gentrification Singapore. Now Toronto
3.5
Its an unassuming film that cleverly grants its delightful writer actress an open mic to both confront and entertain. Film School Rejects
4.5
Over a decade of footage later, first time filmmaker Bing Liu ended up with an award winning documentary thats at once a perfect portrait of American .. Film School Rejects
4.0
An exorcism suggests a suitably malevolent possessive force and Shirkers doesnt disappoint its shadowy antagonist Georges is elsewhere compared to a v .. Cine Vue
4.0
From Jodorowskys Dune to a film about Tim Burtons cancelled Superman, documentaries about movies that never got made have proved a popular prospect ov .. Lw Lies
4.0
A fascinating blend of autobiography, cinema history and mystery. Flicks
5.0
Out of the ashes of the original Shirkers rose the documentary Shirkers, every bit as exceptional as its forebear sought to be. Ft
4.0
A wheel can roll so fast it appears to be going two ways at once, an illusion that can disrupt the viewers sense of place and motion.Something similar .. Wsj
4.0
These teenage girls made something that elbowed against a restrictive culture and could have opened up a whole new wave in film.But it became somethin .. Daily Dot
4.0
If you wanted to read a cutting edge zine or see a movie that would define your generation, no one was going to invite you to do it.You had to do it y .. Straits Times
4.5
On one level, Shirkers is a memoir a fond, self deprecating mulling over of Tans crazy, inspired, partly embarrassing but furiously creative youth. Film Comment
4.4
Yet the overall absurdity and weirdness will put its hook into the audience. Awards Circuit
4.5
Its the story of budding female creativity, the thrill of a collaborative vision, and the expired men cruel enough to foil it.Were ushered through the .. The Daily Beast
3.5
A bracingly bizarre true life saga of indie filmmaking gone squirrelly and disastrous, this new doc explores the unmaking of another film, which itsel .. Bfi
3.8
Its dreamy and funny, just what youd expect from a bright youngster (actually, three bright youngsters) with high aspirations. Datebook Sfchronicle
4.5
Ultimately less about the unfinished 1990s film and more about the man who kept it from fruition. Thankfully, that makes it no less welcome an additio .. Sf Weekly
3.5
The story Shirkers tells is sometimes sad and often infuriating but Tan never stops having fun just making a movie. Battleship Pretension
5.0
In this sincere, engrossing documentary, director Sandi Tan looks back a quarter of a century at Shirkers, a quirky indie film she helped make that ca .. Film Forward
3.0
The latest addition to this sub genre of non fiction is Sandi Tans Shirkers, a thrillingly assembled combination of cinematic mystery, sombre tribute, .. The Film Experience
3.5
Shirkers is both a jaw dropping and detailed look back at one of world cinemas most convoluted footnotes, but also a lesson in never giving up on an a .. The Gate
1.5
While watching this movie, youll wonder if the original Shirkers wouldve actually been a good movie or if its just excellent myth making. Pgh City Paper
4.0
And there doesnt have to only be one villain to the taleespecially when the subject isnt Tan, but a multi faceted collaboration. Jaredmobarak
4.5
All of it passes the basic taste for arresting art: you never can predict what the next scene will bring you. Arts Fuse
4.5
The visual style of this eclectic documentary is intense and necessary. Cocalecas
4.0
This is a film about loss and reclamation over a span of several decades, ending on a note of triumph even though its circumstances are anything but.T .. The Lonely Film Critic
4.5
Theres a quote thats long been attributed to Jean Luc Godard about how Every film is a documentary, and that seems more applicable to Sandi Tans Shirk .. Moveable Fest
4.0
Director Morgan Neville captures the essence of the Rogers brand, while also revealing the practical man behind the program... The Arts St L
4.5
Shirkers is a wild and wonderful descent into the unfettered mind of a teenage girl. Backseat Mafia
3.0
For at its heart this film is a celebration of the creative process itself, and its a glorious one at that. Dork Shelf
4.5
Tan examines how a film that doesnt actually exist, per se, can still have such a presence.
4.5
An irresistible mix of insouciance and precocious maturity. Much of its charm lies in Tans ironic irreverence as the films narrator. Hyperallergic
4.5
Shirkers forces us to confront a world that will never give us all the answers. KMUW - Wichita Public Radi ..
4.5
Sandi Tan directs a documentary that functions in two levels, one as a self portrait and one as a mystery story regarding the disappearance and the re .. Asian Movie Pulse
4.5
Shirkers is a very entertaining, touching concoction film about filmmaking.
4.5
Its a blatantly handcrafted film thats overall obvious and muddles its message by technically proving Lift correct, but skates by on its unique charm .. Screen Slate
5.0
This is a sweet and endearing film, a fun celebration of an extremely narrow subculture, and a rare example these days of obsessed fandom being wielde .. Broadstreet Review
3.0
If thats not enough of a recommendation for you, I dont know what is. MovieBabble
4.5
Alas, Shirkers the narrative feature wasnt to be ... But thats okay: Shirkers the documentary is already full of creative magic. Critics at Large
3.0
But of course, Georges could well be just a deeply disturbed soul shirking from real life challenges and responsibilities.Shirkers the documentary is ..



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