Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

billcurry-1 It's better than Lunesta! No, seriously, I felt nothing for the characters. A good bit of the time their motivations blew past me. Why in the hell is this Queen Antonia returning to this pig farm rather than taking a flight to LA to run a movie studio? And is the movie iconoclastic or religious? When the icons aren't moving, one can ponder this. Fun is poked at incense, out-of-wedlock kids are celebrated, the priest hates his job, yet they all attend mass every Sunday like good Catholics. Fits well with Twain and Hawthorne but not reality. And I'm not saying a film or story has to be real to be good. Of course there's an undercurrent of evil under much that is good. But we don't have to dwell on it. I didn't like The Scarlet Letter or Young Goodman Brown either. As for the feminist propaganda here, it's a joke. Antonia's in such control that she knows the exact date of her death. And she takes her time about it too. While being given the last rites, she berates someone for coming in late. At least death FINALLY shuts her up, so maybe it's not all bad.

gizmomogwai The winner of the 1995 Oscar for a foreign language film has, I think, been unfairly derided on political grounds. Antonia, called Antonia's Line in English, is a Dutch feminist film and has drawn criticism just for that. Sexists love to paint feminists with one brush based on a lunatic fringe, but as a male film watcher I can testify that there's nothing about the film that should be offensive to men. A villain rapist is a man, but rapists exist in life and there are plenty of men in the film who are decent. The women in the family never marry, but many of them still love men and keep them close in their lives. What really scares closet sexists is that the women in this movie are strong characters- even if it's in a positive way, that just won't sit will with those still wishing for a male-run society. The real objective of feminism is for men and women to share power, not make females the sole power.Antonia's Line (a title that makes more sense than the original title of Antonia, because it better captures the focus of the movie), is a fine film that includes colourful, interesting characters, some funny moments and some compelling drama. For example, Thérèse is an interesting character because of her abnormal intelligence, and when the narrator announces she's been raped it's a shocking, disheartening moment (even though we don't actually see that rape). There's also some humour in Danielle announcing she wants a baby but also having a lack of interest in a husband, and in how her own mother arranges for her to get laid. There are lots of characters for a fairly short film, but most of even the minor characters have some appeal. This movie deserved its Oscar and it deserves to be seen.

Andy (film-critic) To talk about "Antonia's Line", discussing plot, character, and mysticism, would mean to denounce the magic of this immaculate film. Gorris has challenged modern mid-90s cinema and developed a feature that not only makes you smile, but evokes conversation, intellect, and continuous repeat viewings. Gorris has created lovable characters, truly evil townsfolk, and especially a venue for love to demonstrate its unyielding power. When writing reviews, my words typically flow between four to five paragraphs – but with this little, random, powerful film – I can only give you this much. This film, "Antonia's Line" needs to be required viewing by all. It redefines family when our current culture so desperately lacks it. This film makes you look beyond your imagination, into a whole new world that Disney could never begin to touch. It is perfection. It is simple. It is mind-blowing.As our cinemas are bombarded with crass humor, extensive explosions, and unchallenging words – "Antonia's Line" breathes a breath of fresh air into the DVD player. Grab yourself a copy of this immediately – before it goes out of print or forgotten.Yep. It is honestly that good.Grade: ***** out of *****

RemovetheLensCap movies where you're just waiting for something to happen. WEll in this case waiting for something natural, spontaneous to happen.I t never does. Antonia's line is horribly contrived with so much narration it doesn't allow you to think...there's no foreshadowing, connected plot, growing relationships...it's just a movie where stuff happens.All the characters are flat and boring, from the beginning apparently we should have seen this coming ( as they killed off the Mother who seemed to have some issues in about 5 minutes.)There's no feeling and comedy? Comedy? How the hell is this a comedy? I didn't laugh once.There was more character development in Seasame Street than Antonia's. And yes like everyone is saying... the movie is quite anti-male or rather treat men like disposable diapers. Kill 'em, do 'em and don't let them know they have a kid.The first 15 minutes ARE really the way the whole movie is.