…John in the Hole is absolutely infuriating…an open-ended story that, for one reason or another, the film-makers have absolutely refused to resolve…

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 2, 2024

Sisto wants you to engage with his film as a piece of fiction – asking us what it says thematically and what lessons the story is trying to teach us.

| Original Score: A | Jun 13, 2024

While not groundbreaking, it’s the sort of film that can be watched and appreciated for what it attempts to do while being frustrating at the same time.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 3, 2023

John and the Hole is the flawed but wonderfully twisted story of a 13-year-old boy who finds an inventive way to distance himself from his family.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 18, 2023

The phenomenal performances from everyone involved (and I genuinely mean everyone), the exquisite camera work, and the addictive score all add to the incredibly suspenseful atmosphere that kept me invested until the very last second. That ending, though…

| Original Score: B- | Jul 24, 2023

Much will likely be made of the fact that John and the Hole never quite announces what it’s about, which means many will dismiss it as an empty exercise. The film has enough of a haunting aura that I believe there’s something to it.

| Jun 7, 2023

We all love a Lanthimos world, but Sisto’s aesthetic here is pure imitation, all surface level without the insights and layers that Lanthimos brings to his odd table.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Sep 22, 2022

Despite its hiccups and frustrations “John and the Hole” never loses its suspense and it keeps the audience interested and guessing. But with that comes a certain level of expectation which the ambiguous finish doesn’t quite satisfy.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 17, 2022

John and the Hole doesn't make any sense. The plot's execution is ambiguous and implausible. The second and third acts leave too many unanswered questions.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 24, 2022

John And The Hole is a slow-burn psychological thriller with an unconventional coming-of-age story that many audiences will find unrelatable.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Mar 15, 2022

Ending on a giant question mark, some will conclude that a big portion of the film is missing, while others will delight in the mystery.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 3, 2022

A parable about how some children grow up too fast and others never grow up at all.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 26, 2022

Whilst the feature feels overall hollow, the small moments where it does find a voice come off as distasteful and simply annoying.

| Feb 22, 2022

Its pedestrian pace and languid narrative will put off many, but stick with it and there's plenty to unravel.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 5, 2021

Suspense is there in plenty, and the acting is strong, so John and the Hole feels like a worthwhile watch.

| Oct 18, 2021

It's both tantalising and deliberately unsatisfying. You're never given the comfort of knowing what comes next.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 13, 2021

While the result may not be quite as deep as the cavern at the centre of the story, it has an enticing sliver of ice at its heart.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 10, 2021

An intriguingly structured exploration of the psychological despair of adolescence...

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 6, 2021

A sterile, supercilious, derivative exercise in sub-Euro-arthouse ordeal. But there is no ordeal because nothing is at stake.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 6, 2021

It often feels sluggish and as though it's on the brink of delivering something monumental, but it never does.

| Sep 8, 2021