A traditional fisherman’s trade in Malta is threatened by commercialism and trawlers in Luzzu, Alex Camilleri’s perfectly constructed neorealist drama.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 13, 2024

As visually stunning as the titular brightly painted wooden boat [...] Luzzu also feels as preciously crafted, with its raw look at the realities of economic survival recalling the acutely painful dilemmas of classic neorealist cinema.

| Dec 8, 2023

Luzzu is a social message film that avoids didacticism by distilling complicated globalization and ecological issues into a simple family drama.

| Jul 26, 2023

The aesthetic sensibility is verite, aggressively graceless handheld in the name of faux-verisimilitude, but the script’s been homogenized down to a series of predictable beats and the resulting over-familiarity entirely cancels out any atmospheric gains.

| Nov 29, 2022

It’s hard to miss the Italian neo-realism influence all over the film, and fans of Belgian filmmakers the Dardenne brothers will be drawn to Camilleri’s real-world grit.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 16, 2022

While the ground the movie covers may be well-trodden, it is still an engaging film that goes to show why these types of stories never lose their potency.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Jul 7, 2022

A super-authentic drama about the fishing industry in Malta starring Maltese fishermen, it’s a gorgeous but entirely clear-eyed depiction of a dwindling livelihood.

| Original Score: 4 | Jun 5, 2022

Resembling a Ken Loach film with added sunshine, Alex Camilleri’s drama shows someone struggling against economic pressures in Malta.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 2, 2022

Camilleri combines the pathos and character development of an indie film with moments of real tension — not something you can often say about the world of fishing.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 2, 2022

This heartfelt ode to life on the water from writer-director Alex Camilleri is as stoic in its execution as it is observant

| May 29, 2022

This terrifically atmospheric, almost documentary-like film tells the story of Jesmark, a real-life Maltese fisherman (Jesmark Scicluna). It also encapsulates a dying culture.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 27, 2022

The film achieves what it intends to, but perhaps lacks personality.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 24, 2022

An emotionally wrenching work...

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 23, 2022

An impressive first feature which highlights an important societal issue in an engaging way.

| May 23, 2022

Reflects the bitter change of times, the progressive loss of tradition, and the rampant viciousness of capitalism in a dehumanizing atmosphere that will leave no one indifferent.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 15, 2022

Fresh, if not revolutionary.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Dec 2, 2021

The film goes exactly where one doesn't expect.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Dec 2, 2021

...one of those gravelly, neo-realist dramas that succeeds in bringing us closer to a reality we seldom see...

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 29, 2021

"Luzzu" may be a simple story about surviving in a new and different world. But it also delves into traditions and how, because of our times, they can be left by the wayside.

| Original Score: B | Nov 25, 2021

boasts vibrant cinematography (Léo Lefèvre) and a complex yet clearly told tale of one man's struggle against inevitable economic realities, but Jesmark's betrayal of a friend's good faith makes him a difficult character to root for.

| Original Score: B | Nov 14, 2021