Like the boy at the bottom of the ocean, the enigma of Evolution will only deepen upon reflection.

Full Review | Dec 5, 2023

This is a pleasure to watch, an uneasily gorgeous surface to skate over.

Full Review | Jan 23, 2023

I didn't enjoy this film as much as I thought I would but it was interesting.

Full Review | Apr 22, 2021

A methodically paced story, breathtakingly photographed and awash in understated tension, "Evolution" uncovers the sinister truths underlying this stunning body horror sci-fi picture that's both subtle and plenty twisted.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Jul 3, 2020

Recalling the earlier body horror works of Cronenberg as it recalibrates H.G. Wells' classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, Hadzihalilovic strikes notes of unrelenting menace with this hypnotic nightmare of signs, symbols, and subversion.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 3, 2019

Evolution largely succeeds due to its sumptuous cinematography and austere tone, which work together to create a skin-crawling sense of dread that's difficult to shake.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.25/5 | Jul 20, 2019

It's by far one of, if not the best looking film of the year, with images that look like paintings come to life.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | May 25, 2019

Hadihalilović's story is a modernised fairy tale about what happens when we, the adults, interfere with the gender roles, or lack thereof, in the children of our society.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | May 4, 2019

The brave new world Hadihalilović creates in Evolution is fascinating enough - even in its theoretical limbo - to be an unforgettable experience.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 3, 2019

Bizarre and singular enough to maintain your interest, with some potent images and icky ideas, but the film's long, terse tease proves equally enticing and frustrating.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 31, 2019

Evolution sways and bubbles like the slow-motion seaweeds and corals that permeate it. It is a film that beckons us closer, enticing us to fall into it and drown.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Aug 25, 2018

I absolutely adored this French mind-f--- of a film, and I am not certain I understand what happens in it.

Full Review | Aug 20, 2018

The acting is impressively naturalistic -- Max Brebant is particularly good as the main boy -- and Hadzihalilovic imbues the film with a splendidly disquieting atmosphere, a deep sense of foreboding and some very strange sex scenes.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 24, 2017

Hadihalilović maintains a dank, spectral mood, and she's admirably disciplined in her slow revelation of what amounts to a gynocentric nightmare.

Full Review | Jan 26, 2017

A film of a strong surreal and metaphorical tone, with nurses dressed in an old fashioned way experimentating on children in an operating room that resembles a morgue. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Dec 20, 2016

By all means wallow in its imagery; when it comes to meaning, however, most viewers surely won't be waving but drowning.

Full Review | Dec 19, 2016

It's easy to imagine the 85-minute runtime being trimmed to 60, given the limited action and abundance of long, static takes, but then, Hadzihalilovic probably wants to give the dread time to soak in.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 15, 2016

I'm almost positive I didn't grasp at least of half of what was going on, maybe more than that. But what is here, how it is explored, I can't get it a single second of it out of my head.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 14, 2016

Evolution never quite gives up its secrets, and it's not a coincidence that the opening shots are deep underwater, since the picture submerges the viewer in its world and keeps them there.

Full Review | Dec 8, 2016

"Evolution" is a work daring in its singular vision and refusal to compromise with viewers.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 8, 2016