Under African Skies: Critic Reviews

MovieWeb: 0 reviews

100%

Rotten Tomatoes: 18 reviews

New York Times (Top Critic)

Full Review » 1 year ago
Stephen Holden New York Times (Top Critic)

80

[It] does an excellent job of recapitulating the controversies surrounding the album's creation without bearing down too heavily on old news, while subtly taking Mr. Simon's side against his critics.
Full Review » 1 year ago
Tim Grierson Village Voice (Top Critic)

It's a pleasant surprise that Under African Skies not only draws attention to the controversy surrounding its subject matter but digs into it a little.
Full Review » 1 year ago
Joe Neumaier New York Daily News (Top Critic)

80

A harmonious, fair-minded, energetic and enlightening portrait of one masterpiece's moment in time.
Full Review » 1 year ago
Rob Nelson Variety (Top Critic)

Under African Skies is appreciably smarter than most celebrity musician docus.
Full Review » 1 year ago
John DeFore Hollywood Reporter (Top Critic)

A pure-bliss celebration of Paul Simon's landmark album Graceland coupled with an interesting if not unbiased look at the controversy surrounding its release...
Full Review » 1 year ago
Peter Travers Rolling Stone (Top Critic)

88

Powered by Paul Simon's brilliance, Under African Skies is a cultural lightning bolt that soars on its music and an unshakable belief in the transcendence of art.
Full Review » 1 year ago
Betsy Sharkey Los Angeles Times (Top Critic)

80

The affection between the musicians and Simon is clear. The portrait that emerges time and again is personal and a reflection of the realities of apartheid.
Full Review » 1 year ago
Meredith Borders Badass Digest

UNDER AFRICAN SKIES is much smarter and more profound than most music documentaries. It's a powerful, beautifully executed film that entertains, informs and questions.
Full Review » 2 months ago
Jason Gorber Twitch

92

It's a blissful film, this work by Berlinger and co., a sheer privilege for the viewer to spend such quality time UNDER AFRICAN SKIES.
Full Review » 5 months ago
Michael Sauter Film Journal International

This absorbing documentary takes an up-close and intimate look at the musicians' creative process, then zooms out to recall the political turmoil that this landmark album left in its wake.
Full Review » 6 months ago
Mark Pfeiffer Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

59

Under African Skies takes what could have been a puff piece glossing over the protestations related to Graceland and teaches the controversy.
Full Review » 9 months ago
Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall

Full Review » 11 months ago
Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor

84

The result is doubly satisfying: We get not only a trenchant political drama but a bang-up concert film as well.
Full Review » 1 year ago
Eric Hynes Time Out New York

60

Under African Skies is less interested in hagiography than in the moral ambiguities of making art.
Full Review » 1 year ago
Kenji Fujishima Slant Magazine

75

It does lightly suggest scintillating questions about the responsibility artists have in reflecting current political moments in their music.
Full Review » 1 year ago
Christopher Campbell Movies.com

80

Berlinger's doc expertly captures the debate of the time and where it's at now, 25 years later.
Full Review » 1 year ago
Noel Murray AV Club

84

What's most exciting about Under African Skies is how it engages with whether artists have social and political responsibilities, and if so, what those might entail.
Full Review » 1 year ago