A bracing study of a fearless pioneer whose quest for justice reverberates far beyond Palestine.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 3, 2019

While it reminds us that social progress requires sustained effort and perseverance, it also highlights how far the Middle East has changed while giving us a tenacious protagonist.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 23, 2019

Equally frustrating and inspiring, The Judge is an accomplished tale of bravery and justice

| Original Score: 8/10 | Mar 8, 2019

...offers insight into Palestinian society and politics as well as providing a compelling portrait of the remarkable woman who is its primary subject.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Dec 26, 2018

The Judge is a thoughtful, sympathetic study.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 22, 2018

Kohn makes good directorial choices ... intercutting interviews, so that they seem more like a dialogue, following Al-Faqih as she walks about to avoid the 'talking head' feel and inserting aerial footage to bolster the sense of movement.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 22, 2018

The Judge is a fascinating insight into a rarely glimpsed world.

| Nov 19, 2018

It's an exceptional, multi-dimensional look at the culture from the inside.

| Nov 19, 2018

The Judge is the rare documentary that locks you in from the start and never let's go.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Nov 4, 2018

The film itself isn't up to the actors' performances. It is a standard issue family soap, wonderfully enhanced by their work, but no timeless classic.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 29, 2018

Al-Faqih is a role model, and Cohn makes a strong case for her.

| Original Score: B | May 18, 2018

Couched in beautiful cinematography that highlights the exotic architecture of Palestine, the documentary follows al-Faqih's story through her early legal background to showcase her unique and groundbreaking position.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 12, 2018

The Judge is complex and engaging.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 10, 2018

A portrait as delightful as its subject: Kholoud Al-Faqih, a pioneer of Islamic jurisprudence and as fiery as any Western feminist. Essential viewing for its smashing of stereotypes.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 3, 2018

Although Faqih speaks eloquently about women's rights and what she stands for, a bit more personal introspection might have been illuminating.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 2, 2018

Despite her dubious circumstances, Al-Faqih is a strong documentary subject who is likely to be a major historical figure for womens' rights in the Muslim world.

| Apr 30, 2018

"The Judge" lays out facts while avoiding making easy judgments about how Palestinian men view and treat women.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 26, 2018

People who need a fair-minded adjudicator like Kholoud Al-Faqih and are fortunate to have her.

| Apr 23, 2018

Erika Cohn's documentary could have delved deeper at key points, but in its engaging fashion it strikes one inspirational note after another...

| Apr 15, 2018

A valuable insight into Palestinian society and a great antidote to Islamophobic hysteria over sharia law.

| Apr 13, 2018