72
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Los Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarLos Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarLike the fiery folklore entity that lends it its name, Will-o’-the-Wisp burns bright with idiosyncratic ambition. Few cineastes out there are making deliciously defiant art like Rodrigues, and this entry in his catalog is a concentrated shot of his sardonic mastery.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinThe Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinWhile the cast’s dancing is very good, on the whole, the acting suggests less training. But that fits the semi-professional vibe even better, creating a work that feels light, quick and quite dirty in every sense.
- 80VarietyGuy LodgeVarietyGuy LodgeRampantly horny and unapologetically silly, Will-o’-the-Wisp appeals to more primal desires and thought processes in its audience, even as it repurposes a Greta Thunberg speech or references the racially charged work of 18th-century Portuguese painter José Conrado Roza.
- 80Screen DailyAllan HunterScreen DailyAllan HunterServed up with lashings of homoeroticism, Bunuelian satire, a gay love story and an athletic dance number, its uncompromising nature will delight fans of the visionary filmmaker.
- 70The New York TimesAmy NicholsonThe New York TimesAmy NicholsonWill-o’-the-Wisp, an off-balance provocation from the Portuguese titillater João Pedro Rodrigues, is a prank in fancy dress, a plastic boutonniere that squirts battery acid. The joke is on everyone, particularly the powerful and those holding out hope that the powerful will save the planet.
- 67The Film StageEthan VestbyThe Film StageEthan VestbyIt’s hard not to wish the film were a little longer and could push its musical element harder. It doesn’t quite erupt into a rapturous extravaganza—seemingly by design, as a twinge of defeat emerges when the film makes a hard ellipsis back to the future in its final minutes. But in this mad dash of relevancy, maybe a bit of half baked-ness just comes with the territory
- 25San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonSan Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonWill-o’-the-Wisp, a flight of fancy from Portuguese provocateur João Pedro Rodrigues, has a few ideas, a fun little musical sequence and quite a bit of eye candy. But it seems like a series of tonally different short films mashed together — an art installation rather than a movie.