Schizo is in its way a taut and exciting thriller.
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
With a cast of mostly non-actors, the film seems rough-hewn, like something you'd find rusted along a road. But it's actually a sophisticated blend of crime thriller, coming-of-age story and social realism.
It's a gripping, understated thriller with a solid emotional undercurrent that builds to an unexpectedly moving denouement.
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
If one discounts the facile and unconvincing ending, this first feature by Guka Omarova, offers a convincingly bleak view of how a 15-year-old boy could get ahead in rural Kazakhstan in the early 90s.
60
Variety
Variety
Schizo manages to keep it fresh.
50
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
A modest, formulaic day trip from Kazakhstan.
50
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
Though it's equally concerned with sensitive young criminals in squalid communities, Schizo is no "City Of God," for better and worse.
40
Film ThreatPhil Hall
Film ThreatPhil Hall
A compelling screenplay, to be certain. But sadly, Omarova's direction is too leisurely to wring any emotional power.