You Were Never Really Here

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You Were Never Really Here

R

2018

1h 30m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

287 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A contract killer uncovers a conspiracy while trying to save a kidnapped teen from a life of prostitution.

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Critics Consensus

Bracingly elevated by a typically committed lead performance from Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here confirms writer-director Lynne Ramsay as one of modern cinema's most unique -- and uncompromising -- voices.

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Leslie Felperin

The Hollywood Reporter

[T]his intoxicatingly stylish work is all over the place, a hot mess at times so ravishing it sends shivers down to the toes. Unfortunately, it's also at times just plain crass and silly.

Dec 26, 2018

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Chris Nashawaty

Entertainment Weekly

In the end, there's no question that what you're watching is a masterfully-made movie, albeit one that's easier to admire from afar than up close.

Rated: B-

Dec 26, 2018

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Emily St. James

Vox

It's the kind of movie I'm glad [Ramsay] made because her interrogation of Joe's masculinity is the sort of thing endemic to the material that many male directors might have missed in an attempt to make the movie more "exciting."

Rated: 4/5

Dec 26, 2018

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

A cryptically stunning crime drama casting Joaquin Phoenix as a contract killer whose comingled violence and conscience-stricken pain are complicated by PTSD as a Gulf War veteran...

Aug 23, 2024

Full Review

JD Duran

InSession Film

There’s something about Phoenix taps into Joe’s ability to both transcend his PTSD (ie. save young women from dangerous situations) and suffer heavily from it. It makes those final moments at the diner so beautiful...

Aug 7, 2024

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Erica Richards

InSession Film

You Were Never Really Here is not for the faint of heart–it is cold and violent but there are extremely important messages throughout.

Rated: B

Jul 8, 2024

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K. S.

This movie made me want to throw up and not in a good way. It’s so bad. My friend Sandy didn’t get it at all. Thanks for nuthin and losing a part of my life

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/27/25

Full Review

PandaSamurai D.

I'm struggling to understand what the movie was trying to say. This movie wasn't created just to say nothing, the whole cast and crew committed to saying something. For the life of me I don't know what it is. All the violence happens off screen, so it's not that except to say it's not something we need to see to be effective. The counting, the immersion in water, the drawn out sequences just looking at the lead not really showing much emotion except confusion was not an effective way of conveying what was happening. This movie feels like it got lost in it's own meaning. Contextually it explains nothing.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/21/25

Full Review

Luis A

Excellent movie, a bad guys harming monster, with a heart of gold… Weird and very interesting. Excellent performance by Mr. Phoenix.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/27/25

Full Review

Cammy F

As per most films I like this was a novel first. It is a murderous piece of art with frank gestures towards the sorrow in severe melancholy. It begs the question of the value of revenge or simple suicide. Clearly, he decides on delicious violence, but fueled by his moral obligation to others. I often think of this film more in regard to the way Joaquin Phoenix uses his body to illicit a response from us; a response regarding man's inhumanity to man. A superb story/script and an excellent award winning performance.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/07/25

Full Review

Stoner J

it drags a decent amount of the film, but when it’s going, it’s going fantastically! Phoenix is a total freak, and it totally unrelenting in dishing out his violence and revenge

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/31/25

Full Review

Andreas S

Silly (no) story with unrealistic archaic violence garnished with (wet dreams of) Lolita moments. Would be impossible to deliver in 2025.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/25

Full Review

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Lynne Ramsay

Director

Joaquin Phoenix

Joe

Ekaterina Samsonov

Nina

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You Were Never Really Here: International Trailer 1

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You Were Never Really Here: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A contract killer uncovers a conspiracy while trying to save a kidnapped teen from a life of prostitution.

Director: Lynne Ramsay
Producer: Rosa Attab, Pascal Caucheteux, James Wilson, Lynne Ramsay
Screenwriter: Lynne Ramsay, Jonathan Ames
Distributor: Amazon Studios
Production Co: JW Films, Sixteen Films, Why Not Productions, Amazon Studios, British Film Institute, Film4
Rating: R (Disturbing and Grisly Images|Brief Nudity|Language|Strong Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 6, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 3, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.5M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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