These dogs’ lives are scrappy, sometimes ugly, but also — elevated by [directory Elizabeth] Lo’s quotes of the dog-obsessed Greek philosopher Diogenes — charismatic and noble.

| Jul 29, 2024

The needs of these boys are repeatedly undermined and ignored, and it’s through their communion with the stray dogs of the city that we gain the most valuable insight into the life of outsiders in Istanbul.

| Original Score: B | Jun 13, 2024

A film with so little dialogue can rarely elicit so many emotions, and Stray manages to do just that with its lean 72-minute runtime.

| Original Score: 8.5/10 | Jan 22, 2023

Choosing to have the entire film centred around one particular dog, Lo opens herself up to a rather experimental form of documentary filmmaking.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 12, 2022

Sometimes filmed from derriere and always with a fine eye, this doco on dogs in Istanbul where strays wander free, takes its audience to a contemplative, harmonious place

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

Stray, to its credit, excels at studying both dog and human with equal delicacy and compassion.

| Sep 26, 2021

It shows us the animals and people who stay in the shadows and remain invisible to those wandering by.

| Aug 28, 2021

A photo album of life in Instanbul. [Full review in Spanish]

| Aug 27, 2021

A kind of companion to Kedi, that 2016 documentary about Istanbul's street cats, Elizabeth Lo's film is a tender look into the lives of some of the city's free-roaming dogs.

| Aug 11, 2021

It's meant to be an immersive experience, an effort to put us as viewers not just behind the eyes of a dog, but also in its mind. It succeeds beautifully.

| Jul 13, 2021

... evolves into a uniquely compassionate look at coexistence and belonging through the eyes of outsiders. It resonates regardless of species.

| Jul 10, 2021

A film-going experience that we, action-hungry Americans, are not used to. It's slow and plodding but says a lot about the human experience-an experience the majority of us will never admit we've experienced.

| Original Score: 7.5/10 | Jun 7, 2021

Snatches of human speech offer some context, but Lo refuses to employ tricks of storytelling to make canine society less alien.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 20, 2021

A fascinating insight into the world of man's best friend with sweeping stunning cinematography.

| Original Score: 7/10 | May 5, 2021

The fact is, dogs sometimes don't do much, and well, a lot doesn't happen in the movie. [Full review in Spanish]

| May 3, 2021

The doc is a must-watch for mutt-lovers.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 23, 2021

A sumptuous life through a lens look at the world from the gaze of our four-legged friends, Stray is an incredible, intimate journey that plays out the trials of life in such a surprising and satisfying way

| Apr 8, 2021

With amazing grace, tact and delicacy, in each case, [ilm-maker Elizabeth] Lo addresses an issue that invites you to reflect on society at large and its values.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 2, 2021

This isn't Disney. These dogs are dogs. They bark, they bite, they defecate. Yet their primal allure remains indisputable.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 31, 2021

A colourful tapestry of bone-chewing, play-fighting, and butt-sniffing.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 29, 2021