Lone Scherfig‘s The Kindness of Strangers (Vertical, 2.14) was killed in Berlin last February, ending up with a 5% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
Review excerpt #1: “I think they’ve probably hit bottom with this howler, a criss-crossing ensemble piece set in New York and featuring a rogues’ gallery of non-characters slowly learning to appreciate the transformative power of (sick bucket please) ‘forgiveness’ — Kevin Maher, London Times. Review excerpt #2: “Dear lord, I’ve been searching high and low for something nice to say about this mess, and I have come up nearly empty.” — Barry Hertz, Toronto Globe & Mail.
Scherfig’s An Education (’09) was perfect, in my humble view. One of the best John Schlesinger films ever made. Then came the so-so One Day (’11). Then she seemed to fall out of the groove — The Riot Club (’14), The Astronaut Wives Club (ABC TV, 2015), Their Finest (’16) and now The Kindness of Strangers. Mystifying.
