"Critics’ Pick."
- The Los Angeles Times
"A superb and exciting documentary. Plays out like a gripping thriller in the style of Argo."
- This Week in New York
"A WONDERFUL SURPRISE. Part film noir, part black comedy, part romance."
- Chris O’Falt, Indiewire
"A HEAD-SHAKINGLY BIZARRE STORY THAT ALONE MAKES IT WORTH SEEING."
- Manohla Dargis, NY Times
"BRISK, FASCINATING AND ULTIMATELY MOVING."
- Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice
"A BEYOND-BELIEF DOCUMENTARY."
- Kenneth Turan, LA Times
"MEMORABLE. If John le Carré had written a Hollywood satire, it might look like this."
- David Morgan, CBS News
"SOMETIMES A CONVOLUTED PLOT CAN BE A PLEASURE TO UNTANGLE. That’s the case with “Despot,” a documentary feature, with ambiguities, adornments and a surreally lurid plot."
- Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
"Fascinating."
- The Playlist
"Eye-opening."
- The Daily Beast
"Fascinating."
- Village Voice
"Coolly gripping."
- Variety
"A poignant story of a love lost and then rekindled under the most harrowing circumstances imaginable."
- Variety
"Surges ahead at a breathless clip on the strength of its twists and turns alone."
- Variety
