The father is unsympathetic, the kids are uninteresting, and the sister-in-law is unnecessary, so the mother's absence from her own story becomes glaring.

| Sep 25, 2018

Bitch is darkly funny and often oddly satisfying, and how perfectly filmmaker Marianna Palka and co-star Jason Ritter understand their roles goes a long way.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 13, 2017

[Palka's] come up with an intriguing premise, but doesn't quite have the nuance or the storytelling chops to offer an insightful satire.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Nov 10, 2017

A satirical scream of rage against patriarchal prerogatives, this feminist horror-comedy, written and directed by Ms. Palka, has a vicious edge that can stifle your laughter.

| Nov 9, 2017

While it's refreshing to see a portrait of a woman's unraveling that doesn't romanticize mental illness, and that's actually directed by a woman, it's easy to wish Bitch probed a bit deeper into the protagonist's pre-dog life.

| Nov 8, 2017

Initially offbeat, Bitch awkwardly pivots toward a more inspirational story of regret and reconciliation.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 7, 2017

[Marianna Palka's] terrific - the intensity of what she's doing, without saying a word, is overwhelming

| Nov 3, 2017

An intriguing premise becomes a bit of a dog's dinner in Marianna Palka's dark indie parable.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 12, 2017

It's an interesting concept, but the characters are thin and nothing here feels insightful.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 12, 2017

Unsatisfying in the pulpy sense suggested by its Midnight-section booking at Sundance, the pic's presumed political agenda never crystallizes sufficiently ...

| Feb 2, 2017

Palka's fourth feature is as brash and as blunt as its title, more abrasive than amusing in its snarling takedown of patriarchal family politics.

| Jan 27, 2017

Displays Palka's unique power as an actress while simultaneously showing her weaknesses as a writer.

| Jan 25, 2017

By its end, Bitch focuses as much on what it means to wake up to the frustrations of an American dream coming to pieces as it is a fierce indictment of them.

| Original Score: B | Jan 25, 2017