Always Shine is a remarkable film carried by a strong script and even stronger performances.

| Aug 25, 2018

As the fog closes in, so too does the foreboding, expertly tuned to fraught dissonance by director Sophia Takal, who blends art-house flourishes with such horror conventions as the spotty cellphone reception that signals trouble.

| Dec 1, 2016

[Takal has] created two characters with distinctly different approaches to femininity, but these are hard to separate from the women's habitual self-regard.

| Dec 1, 2016

FitzGerald and Davis are both excellent, convincingly turning the smallest, most seemingly harmless discussions into highly charged cat-and-mouse workouts.

| Original Score: B- | Dec 1, 2016

None of this would be possible without the extraordinary performances of these two actresses.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 25, 2016

"Always Shine" is a deft, assured movie with a sly self-reflexive undercurrent containing commentary on sexism and self-idealization that's provocative, and sometimes disturbing.

| Nov 24, 2016

Every casual exchange becomes a lunge for dominance, and the movie keeps you flinching.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 23, 2016

Always Shine shines brightest when it lets these women be themselves, and the filmmaking provides the dissonance.

| Original Score: B | Nov 23, 2016

The film undermines the unity of its characterizations, redirecting into garish phantasmagoria.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 19, 2016

Strong performances propel a movie that wears its influences (De Palma, Lynch) on its sleeve without feeling like a copycat.

| May 2, 2016

Always Shine sets the stage for a involving thriller about the relationship between performance and emotional reality, probing the chaotic possibilities when those two ingredients collide.

| Original Score: B+ | May 2, 2016

If there's any fairness in this world -- and this film reminds us that there often isn't -- Always Shine will be a breakout hit with audiences and launch its talented director and stars to the next level.

| Original Score: A- | May 2, 2016

It's a dazzlingly confident film, spinning like a wind-up toy, yet slicing with insight on each go-round.

| Apr 26, 2016

Always Shine is a true treasure of Tribeca 2016, and possibly one of the best films of the year.

| Apr 22, 2016

Sophia Takal is less interested in Ingmar Bergman's brand of heavy philosophical inquiry than in horror-movie-like tension.

| Apr 18, 2016

With her confident second feature, director Sophia Takal ("Green") takes on Tinseltown misogyny and the toxic rivalry between friends, but that's mere prelude to a gonzo meta-fiction that deconstructs itself nearly to death.

| Apr 17, 2016