Wesley Morris Boston Globe Nov 24, 2011 2/4

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Marta Barber Miami Herald Sep 15, 2006 2.5/4

This beautiful tale of two sisters living in Sarcelles, a low-income Parisian suburb of mostly new immigrants, presents the darker side of religion while offering a candid view of an Orthodox Jewish family struggling to stay together.

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Jordan Hiller Bangitout.com Aug 16, 2006 1.5/4

The film, which means well in its attempt to touch on Kantian philosophy, racial divides, sex and orthodoxy, and secularism versus religion, manages to insult each one of these heavy subjects by not giving any of them the serious, thoughtful attention the

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Susan Walker Toronto Star May 19, 2006 3/4

It is a story told in small moments, the camera close-up on a look, the stroke of a hand, the way a blonde thread is revealed in a husband's jacket.

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Liz Braun Jam! Movies May 19, 2006 2.5/5

The background of Little Jerusalem is a grimy landscape, both physical and political, and it overwhelms the fragile exploration undertaken by the sisters. Or maybe that's the whole point.

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Rick Groen Globe and Mail May 19, 2006 2/4

Anyone shopping by the ton for melodrama is well advised to browse the ample display on view in this cinematic square.

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Jeff Shannon Seattle Times May 12, 2006 3/4

Rich in perceptive details, Albou's film has drawn favorable comparison to the work of Claire Denis (The Intruder, Friday Night), and both directors share a sensual sensitivity to their characters' inner lives.

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Kevin Crust Los Angeles Times May 6, 2006 3.5/5

The grand ideas are effectively integrated into a drama that relies equally upon the head, the heart and the body for inspiration.

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Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune May 4, 2006 3/4

It's very well-acted and directed, shot with great vigor, mostly in roaming closeups that plunge us right into the thick of things.

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Ella Taylor L.A. Weekly May 4, 2006

[If the film] is a story of escape and liberation, it also shows a calibrated respect for tradition and the ancient pull of family loyalty.

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Jules Brenner Cinema Signals Apr 13, 2006 3/5

Albou is adventurous in intermixing a young woman's coming-of-age with a search for secular belief but her story is a bit shy on drama.

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Laura Kelly South Florida Sun-Sentinel Mar 2, 2006 2.5/4

Even though the romance angle disappoints, the story still holds interest because of the jarring cultural differences, even between the Paris-reared daughters and their superstitious Tunisian mother.

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Frank Scheck The Hollywood Reporter Feb 13, 2006

It evaporates from your mind even while watching it.

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Andrew Sarris Observer Feb 9, 2006

In their separate ways, Laura and Mathilde have discovered how to shape their own destinies in a turbulent period of clashing civilizations.

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Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Feb 1, 2006 C

It would be hard to imagine a filmmaking style as serious yet lazy as the earnest vrit bobbing and weaving employed by La Petite Jrusalem.

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Daniel Eagan Film Journal International Jan 29, 2006

The best reason to watch La Petite Jerusalem is Fanny Valette, a bona-fide beauty who brings a commitment and gravity to scenes that don't always deserve them.

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Ken Fox TV Guide Jan 27, 2006 3.5/4

Beautifully played by Valette and Zylberstein, and directed with amazing grace by Albou, this touching film offers a respectful, fascinating look at a community that's ignored as often as it's misunderstood.

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V.A. Musetto New York Post Jan 27, 2006 3/4

Albou's chosen a touchy subject, which she treats sensitively. Her mature script is complemented by heartfelt turns by Fanny Valette as Laura and Elsa Zylberstein as Mathilde.

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Ed Scheid Boxoffice Magazine Jan 27, 2006 3/5

Albou gives a traditional plot a rich sense of detail and a sensitivity to her characters.

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Lisa Nesselson Variety Jan 26, 2006

Centered on people of limited means, pic intelligently explores the ways in which the demands of a tightly knit religious community can be stifling or liberating depending on one's own temperament.

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