81
Metascore
30 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Slant MagazineDerek SmithSlant MagazineDerek SmithThe film brims with authenticity and the electrifying emotional intensity of the best melodramas.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyIt’s a quiet drama despite its characters’ many volatile arguments. Most of all, it’s a moving character portrait of a complicated woman who makes good and bad decisions but is motivated solely by the desire to create a better life for herself and the people she loves.
- 80VarietyJessica KiangVarietyJessica KiangRockwell uses the full range of cinematic expressivity to turn a small, often tragic story of raw deals and rash decisions into an admiring portrait of survivorship, determination and resourcefulness.
- 80Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonScreen RantPatrice WitherspoonIt doesn’t nail everything it set out to accomplish, but A Thousand and One is a breathtaking character study of perseverance in Black motherhood.
- 75IndieWireRyan LattanzioIndieWireRyan LattanzioRockwell’s direction is sophisticated and visually imaginative even as the movie could benefit from a tighter edit around its New York cast of characters and the rapidly changing city in the hands of mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg.
- 75The Film StageJake Kring-SchreifelsThe Film StageJake Kring-SchreifelsRockwell has plenty time to develop into a more distinguished storyteller, though her directorial instincts have a staggering specificity. This is a movie that gets gentrification right––she thrives in showing the way brief observations out a window paint a larger picture––and connects little dots from childhood to adulthood.
- 75ColliderChase HutchinsonColliderChase HutchinsonIt is almost like a novel in how expansive it is, providing a sense of scope that can frequently leave this story feeling scattered. As the city is in a constant state of change, the lives of the characters are similarly in flux as their already pressing problems only become more and more dire.
- 70Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonRockwell respects her audience enough to trust that we’ll be invested in Inez and Terry’s odyssey because of the nuanced performances.
- 67The PlaylistRobert DanielsThe PlaylistRobert DanielsWhile A Thousand and One is a breathtakingly beautiful portrait of Black womanhood and is thoughtfully political, the character beats heave with a noticeable unevenness. The fascinating parts rarely add up to a satisfying interpersonal whole.
- 60The GuardianAdrian HortonThe GuardianAdrian HortonThere are many things working well in Rockwell’s debut, Taylor’s performance chief among them, but the end result doesn’t match her character’s formidable strength.