critics consensus

Stray takes a patient, meditative look at the lives of Istanbul's stray dog population -- and uncovers truths of the human condition in the process. Read critic reviews

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Stray Videos

Stray: Trailer 1

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Stray Photos

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Movie Info

STRAY explores what it means to live as a being without status or security, following three strays as they embark on inconspicuous journeys through Turkish society. Zeytin, fiercely independent, embarks on adventures through the city at night; Nazar, nurturing and protective, easily befriends the humans around her; while Kartal, a shy puppy living on the outskirts of a construction site, finds companions in the security guards who care for her. The strays' disparate lives intersect when they each form intimate bonds with a group of young Syrians with whom they share the streets. Director Elizabeth Lo's award-winning film is a critical observation of human civilization through the unfamiliar gaze of dogs and a sensory voyage into new ways of seeing.

Genre:

documentary
Director:

Elizabeth Lo
Producer:

Elizabeth Lo, Shane Boris
Writer:

Elizabeth Lo
Release Date (Theaters):

Mar 5, 2021 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Mar 5, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA):

$13.0K
Runtime:

1h 13m

Cast & Crew

Elizabeth Lo
Director

Elizabeth Lo
Writer

Elizabeth Lo
Producer

Shane Boris
Producer

News & Interviews for Stray

2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced

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Critic Reviews for Stray

All Critics (56) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (54) | Rotten (2)

This isn't Disney. These dogs are dogs. They bark, they bite, they defecate. Yet their primal allure remains indisputable.

March 31, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
A colourful tapestry of bone-chewing, play-fighting, and butt-sniffing.

March 29, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Clarisse Loughrey
Independent (UK)
Stray doesn't editorialise, but lets us notice. It treats us as if we were as smart as Zeytin. Take that as a compliment.

March 24, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Danny Leigh
Financial Times
A simple but effective sensory voyage that's hard to shake.

March 23, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Josh Slater-Williams
Little White Lies
[The] poetic vibe is richly enhanced by composer Ali Helnwein's keening, cello-centric score that's nimbly synched up to the editing.

March 23, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Leslie Felperin
Guardian
It's almost like a mirage of a documentary... It's really about the problems that the [Turkish government] doesn't want to talk about.

March 10, 2021 | Full Review…

Amy Nicholson
FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
A sumptuous life through a lens look at the world from the gaze of our four-legged friends, Stray is an incredible, intimate journey that plays out the trials of life in such a surprising and satisfying way

April 8, 2021 | Full Review…

Matt Rodgers
Flickering Myth
With amazing grace, tact and delicacy, in each case, [ilm-maker Elizabeth] Lo addresses an issue that invites you to reflect on society at large and its values.

April 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Sarah Kent
The Arts Desk
Even when dogs are the only creatures on screen, the images are resonant.

March 29, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Edward Porter
Sunday Times (UK)
If you're a dog lover, you'll find much to admire with Stray, but the quietly powerful social commentary makes it of interest to more than just your average pet owner.

March 25, 2021 | Full Review…

Alistair Ryder
Movies on Weekends
With the camera kept low to the ground, what emerges is a remarkable, impressionistic portrait of a species and a country that overturns some of the dog-eat-dog clichés and reinforces others...

March 24, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Alistair Harkness
Scotsman
A bittersweet, multilayered vérité portrait of the street dogs of Istanbul. Startlingly immersive, howling with moral questions about what we owe these creatures of intelligence, dignity, and feeling.

March 20, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher