On the Other Son

1. Blake Howard  The Other Son is a hopeful, affective humanistic drama; infused with the incalculable weight of ideology and history.
2. Stanley Kauffmann It is easy to imagine other, darker, results after the opening accident, but Levy's film, pitched firmly as if it were the only possibility, makes it seem so.
3. Jim Schembri This moving, emotionally concise human drama is easily one of the most remarkable films about the unending conflict in the Middle East.
4. Philip Martin Somehow Levy - and her actors - avoid sentimentality and trite homilies. The Other Son explores the age-old nature vs. nurture divide, and ends up as refutation of ignorance and hate.
5. David 'Mad Dog' Bradley Some have accused Levy's pic of naïvete, and yet this isn't trying to make bold, heavy political statements, as the director is more interested in the human side of a perhaps unlikely but intriguing plot set-up.
6. Matthew Toomey The Other Son is an interesting, life-affirming story.
7. Rob Thomas The film goes to great lengths to make us believe its premise, and then use it to make a humane and surprisingly hopeful film about Israeli-Palestinian relations.
8. Louis Black The actors are all excellent, the storytelling compassionate, and the overall sense one takes from the film is more humane than political.
9. Josh Bell At times, certain supporting characters come off as mouthpieces for political points of view, but Levy isn't making a polemic, and her ultimate message is positive and humane.
10. Prairie Miller Though lacking subtlety, the story conveys a rare sensitivity and compassion. But what divides humans historically are more complex issues of power and domination. And shouldn't be buried, even in fiction, under sentimental appeals which change nothing.
11. Lawrence Toppman The movie doesn't need to preach a "we're all equal" message. When we watch the boys bond with their new kin over food or music, then see the lines of Palestinians plodding through armed checkpoints to reach jobs or visit Israeli friends, we get the point.
12. Colin Covert A humane but emotionally anemic message movie whose dramatic craft doesn't live up to its good intentions.
13. Chris Hewitt (St. Paul) The concept feels very designed-to-teach-us-lessons, but the execution is surprisingly graceful.
14. Kelly Vance A provocative, moving social drama, superbly thought out and well acted by its cast.
15. Robert Denerstein What makes an Israeli or Palestinian?
16. Susan Granger Compelling and emotional, exploring many facets of self-identity.
17. Walter V. Addiego Lévy generally succeeds in creating a compelling, humanistic family drama, even if some viewers may reject the movie's final note of optimism.
18. Nora Lee Mandel How the sons begin to share each other's lives is sensitively portrayed, and the film's more original than the usual Romeo and Juliet personalization of the regional divide.
19. Brandon Judell An unbelievable situation becomes remarkably tangible here and oh so pertinent.