War/Dance complicates documentary tradition, trying to express events that seem beyond expression.
Comment
01/17/08
War Dance (2007)
85
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:46
Fresh:39
Rotten:7
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: War/Dance is beautifully filmed, and effectively captures the heartbreaking and uplifting experiences of its subjects.
Theatrical Release:Nov 9, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine's WAR DANCE is a powerful documentary that follows a group of schoolchildren as they overcome nearly insurmountable odds in their quest to participate in the annual... [More]
Director: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine
Get This Movie
Reviews for War Dance
The perfect antidote to compassion fatigue.
12/20/07
Top CriticThe film is a bit of a mishmash, but you will fall for the children it depicts.
12/14/07
The horror and heartwarming [is] equally compounded.
12/14/07
The music offers the northern Ugandan children a chance to heal from their fear and pain--that part of the film cannot be questioned.
12/04/07
Children in dire situations can be a tricky, quasi-exploitive subject for filmmakers ... but it's handled here in a responsible, occasionally joyous fashion. You can still feel your heartstrings being pulled, but when it's done this well, it's tough to be
11/30/07
War/Dance is the sort of documentary that's meant to appall us, to shake us out of our uninformed complacency. And yet there are moments in the film that may make an audience uncomfortable in ways the Fines may not have intended.
11/30/07
War/Dance is two documentaries struggling uneasily against each other. The one that wins -- the only one that matters, really -- is a devastatingly emotional saga about Ugandan children of war reclaiming their lives.
11/30/07
The joyous song and vibrant dance of the schoolchildren uplift all who see them. They are war orphans, casualties of Uganda's civil strife, healing physical and psychic wounds by performing ancient tribal rites in a national competition.
11/30/07
Top CriticDirectors Sean and Andrea Fine have set out to make an inspirational film about the transcendent power of music in a war zone. What they have achieved is a piece of emotional pornography.
11/29/07
This is documentary-making at its best, not pretending to be journalism, but still playing a crucial role in telling stories that otherwise wouldn't make the front page.
11/15/07
Documentary filmmakers Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine found an ingenious way to tell their story in a film that is as unflinching as it is uplifting.
11/09/07
Even in support of the noblest of causes, manipulation is manipulation.
11/09/07
Top CriticA marvel to watch.
11/09/07
The core of this week's African catastrophe documentary is so simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting, you only want to thank the Fines for making it as engaging as they have.
11/09/07
The filmmaking style is annoyingly slick, but the testimonies of these children are excruciatingly moving.
11/09/07
War/Dance is as irresistible as the rhythms of African music on its soundtrack.
11/09/07
Top CriticWar/Dance is an honorable, sometimes inspiring exploration of the primal healing power of music and dance in an African tribal culture.
11/09/07
Top CriticIt is delightful to watch these kids dance, especially knowing the evil they've experienced. Their bright smiles are a true testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.
11/09/07
There isn't enough uplift, gratuitous or otherwise, in the world to make you forget the graphic testimony of children compelled by rebel forces either to watch atrocities or commit them.
11/08/07
Top CriticLatest News for War Dance
April 19, 2008:
Oscar-nominated documentary adds up to a worthwhile affirmation of the human potential to be reborn and begin again even in the midst of most dire of circumstances. 
More...
November 20, 2007:
Fifteen Documentaries Vie for Oscar Consideration
A little over a week after reporting the names of the dozen films being submitted for Oscar consideration in the animated feature film category, Variety has given readers the... More...
November 08, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Fred Claus Fails to Spread Cheer; Lions Is Tame, P2 is Average Genre Fare
This week at the movies, we've got Santa's not-so-little helper (Fred Claus, starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti), geopolitics (Lions for Lambs, starring Robert Redford, Tom... More...
January 28, 2007:
Sundance Awards: "Padre Nuestro," "Grace is Gone" Among Competition Winners
Results are in for this year's Sundance festival winners, including awards for John Cusack's "Grace is Gone," Christopher Zalla's "Padre Nuestro," NASA... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
MSN's Year in Review
Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.
Moviefone's Year End Poll
What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!
Tarantino's Characters
Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds