It's a brilliant uplifting film with a soul and really does show the importance of respect.

| Feb 4, 2020

Their vibrant determination finds expression in a silent sequence shot from above, as each leaves a building one at a time, opening a different-colored umbrella in the rain, resolute.

| Dec 19, 2017

The film has crafted an essentially benevolent comic universe where everyone is goodhearted - or at least, they are who they are, and there's not much to do about it.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 17, 2017

The Women's Balcony is a feel-good, crowd-pleasing comedy that depicts what happens when extremism and traditional values collide.

| Nov 11, 2017

The Women's Balcony resolves its central conflict a bit too quickly and neatly, but the theme of battle for the soul of a community resonates - at least with many American critics, who have praised the movie's "universal" themes.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 31, 2017

The superb ensemble of veteran Israeli actors, singers and comedians gives bravura performances.

| Aug 28, 2017

Even though some of the religious and traditional aspects of the film may not travel well, its spirit is universal.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 20, 2017

There are also plenty of sweet moments that emerge from a story about people who, even in conflict, have their hearts in the right place.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 17, 2017

Culturally specific and embracingly universal, the Israeli comedy-drama The Women's Balcony is an exuberant, life-affirming celebration of community in the face of crisis.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 14, 2017

The Women's Balcony isn't a great film, but it is an appealing and good-natured farce that the Toronto fest deemed "rebellious and respectful." And how often can you get both those things in one movie? L'chaim!

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 14, 2017

A slyly wise, hugely entertaining portrait of an Orthodox Jewish community that loses its joy when a newcomer sows discord. You don't have to be religious to love it.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 14, 2017

The Women's Balcony overlooks nothing when it comes to addressing faith, segregation and sexism in a peppery, entertaining way.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 14, 2017

A beautifully sketched portrait of a community under strain, one you do not have to be Jewish or even religious to take great pleasure in.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 13, 2017

An entirely worthwhile experience.

| Original Score: B+ | Jul 10, 2017

Subtly handled by director Emil Ben-Shimon and screenwriter Shlomit Nehama and rendered heartfelt and compelling by an outstanding cast.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 6, 2017

[It] might have worked better as a 10- to 13-hour season of television, but what Ben-Shimon and screenwriter Shlomit Nehama crammed into this 96-minute feature is still an astute and often quite funny piece of filmmaking.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 29, 2017

The Women's Balcony is an equally hilarious and infuriating look at how patriarchies attempt to assert themselves and how terrified men often get when women stand up for themselves.

| Jun 15, 2017

In the end, the solution offered by "The Women's Balcony" to end the rancor feels unearned.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 15, 2017

It's impossible to resist a film that has such rich characters, and makes a complicated subject both enlightening and entertaining.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 14, 2017

With an eye for artful detail, director Emil Ben-Shimon orchestrates a resolution both plausible and jubilant.

| Jun 13, 2017