47
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 65Film ThreatAlan NgFilm ThreatAlan NgThe Mission is a straightforward documentary about the life of a Mormon missionary. Nothing controversial happens. It’s a day-in-the-life story. Though Anderson never attempts to proselytize audiences into the LDS religion, there are more than enough opportunities to hear their message.
- 60Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayLos Angeles TimesNoel MurrayThe Mission is less about Mormonism or Finland than it is a poignant and relatable portrait of loneliness.
- 58The Film StageMichael FrankThe Film StageMichael FrankCapturing a portion of that contrast, due to the closeness and interest of its subjects, The Mission moves beyond an optimistic portrait and into murkier territory, making for a more valuable document. If only Anderson went even further and muddied up the glassy waters.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergThe Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergIt all results in a documentary I found consistently interesting and never revelatory. I learned things, but given the opportunity allegedly presented to the production, not close to as much as I might have wanted to learn.
- 40The New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanThe New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanOne hopes that such access would yield new insights into the church. But as the events unspool, the film struggles to crystallize more than a handful of compelling points.
- 40VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyThere’s nothing terribly wrong with Anderson’s documentary — save that after 96 minutes, any viewer could well obliviously walk right past its principal subjects on the street, so fleeting an impression do they make in this surface-level portrait.