"Longing," a 2024 American remake of the 2017 Israeli drama film of the same name, seems to be lost on international critics.
Directed by Savi Gabizon the film stars Richard Gere. It follows Daniel, a wealthy New York businessman who discovers he fathered a 19-year-old son who recently died in a car accident. He is tormented by the loss, attending the burial despite not wanting children initially.
Despite the original film's awards in Israel and festival premieres, the remake has not resonated well with international critics.
The Globe and Mail critic describes it as a "tonally bizarre and dramatically inert Canadian-Israeli film that lacks baseline human emotion and frustrates audiences."
Critics said the remake fails to effectively convey the protagonist's grief, also noting the introduction of confusing subplots, baffling character reasoning, and an uncomfortable execution. The critics agree that "Longing" fails to come together as a cohesive film.
Sources: Yahoo News, The New York Times, Cultured Vultures, Variety, TV Overmind, IMDb, Punch Drunk Critics, MovieWeb, Deadline, Screen Rant, ComingSoon.net, Roger Ebert, The Globe and Mail, Original-Cin, and Elements of Madness.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
