Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 9 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. [2] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [3]
Nick Schager of Variety stated, "Colewell is a character study that's almost too subdued for its own good. Fortunately, writer-director Tom Quinn has a keen eye for telling details, as well as a superb lead actress in Karen Allen." Schager also commented that "the film's finely crafted serenity is in keeping with its main character's secluded state of affairs, and mind." [4] Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter opined, "Unlike many movies shot in places far from where they are meant to take place, this one has an authenticity that makes a noticeable difference. Although Colewell could have benefited from pruning away some of its eccentricities, it pays eloquent tribute to a woman who fights against a life erased." [5] Carlos Aguilar of the Los Angeles Times called the film "a drama as endearingly demure as its leading lady." Aguilar highlighted Allen's performance, writing that "Colewell finally granted her the platform for the most remarkable onscreen rendition of her career. Contemplative, her longing stare extends beyond the nearby fields and into the past." [6]
