Ain't Them Bodies Saints

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Ain't Them Bodies Saints

R

Released Aug 16, 2013

1h 35m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

130 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A man (Casey Affleck) takes the fall for his lover's (Rooney Mara) crime, then four years later breaks out of prison to find her and their young daughter, who was born during his incarceration.

Critics Consensus

While conventional in plot, Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a visually poetic film that pays homage to the New Hollywood directors of the 1970s and promises big things from director David Lowery.

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Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

Rooney and Affleck never overplay their parts in fine performances that make you long for a smile from one of them.

May 30, 2023

Full Review

J. Hoberman

ARTINFO.com

[Ain't Them Bodies Saints] is... beautifully shot, highly aestheticized, ponderously lyrical, dramatically inert, lugubriously scored, and weirdly sanctimonious.

Feb 22, 2019

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

The problem with the film, written and directed by David Lowery, is that it's tepidly drawn, with molasses-like pacing and an anticlimactic ending that does little to keep the audience invested.

Rated: C-

Sep 6, 2017

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David Bax

Battleship Pretension

Everything is relentlessly grim and dour without earning the weight to make that mean something.

Feb 25, 2021

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Pablo Muñoz

Espinof

Somehow, everything in the movie feels forced. [Full Review in Spanish]

Apr 17, 2020

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David Harris

Spectrum Culture

A homage to American cinema of the brown era, one that has many beautiful parts that don't add up to an interesting whole.

Rated: 2.8/5

Nov 20, 2019

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Audience Member

Well, Casey's always gonna give a great performance and Kith was nice to see after not having seen him for a long time. The movies shot nicely. The biggest flaw= is the story. Frankly, it's a little boring and toss in the glacial pacing and it makes for a long yet somewhat disappointing narrative. It's a movie you don't hate to watch, but will never watch it again once seen.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/05/24

Full Review

KB B

I thought it was a compelling movie with good acting and storyline. It's a tearjerker. Casey Affleck is one of my favorite actors and is superb in this as usual. It's definitely worth the watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/17/24

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Joe W

So bad I created an account to review. Aggressively boring! Cinematography and pacing can go a long way to carry a contemplative movie but this clunker fails on both fronts. Agony to watch!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/14/24

Full Review

KARL O

I guess someone's a big Terence Malik fan. Sometimes imitation is not the greatest form of flattery. This is a movie that even managed to make the action sequences dull. A whole lot of acting for one small movie. I missed this on release. I'm sorry I didn't leave it missed.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/26/22

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Audience Member

Convincing performances, down-to-earth drama with that ‘modern times western' feel to it. Slow at times, tense at others and with a predictable, but satisfying, ending. Not without viewing and entertainment value, despite a slew of dumb decisions from the main character.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Good movie. It fulfills much of what Lowery is often after in his movies. Yes, the cinematography is a real strength here. The score is solid as well. Rooney Mara does a wonderful Sissy Spacek take. Foster is again strong as the guy who wants to take the troubled woman and give her what she deserves in life. And Affleck is again good as the little screw-up guy who never has the good sense to do what he really should. But for all the positive qualities, the movie never really rises to the occasion; it doesn't reach a level of transfixing the viewer or pull at you in a way that's hard to shake. What energy of great cinema it does generate just flows around you. It never flows through you to make you feel the magic of film. 3.1 stars

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

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David Lowery

Director

Rooney Mara

Ruth Guthrie

Casey Affleck

Bob Muldoon

Ben Foster

Patrick Wheeler

Keith Carradine

Skerritt

Kennadie Smith

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Synopsis

A man (Casey Affleck) takes the fall for his lover's (Rooney Mara) crime, then four years later breaks out of prison to find her and their young daughter, who was born during his incarceration.

Director: David Lowery
Producer: Lars Knudsen, Jay Van Hoy, Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston, Cassian Elwes, Amy Kaufman
Screenwriter: David Lowery
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Sailor Bear, Parts & Labor
Rating: R (Some Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 16, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $387.6K
Runtime: 1h 35m

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