Radha Blank's first feature is an earnest, honest, often hilarious testimonial from a gifted writer about what it means for someone in her position to reinvent; this film is Blank's shot, and by staying so true to her voice, her aim hits home
in the new film "The 40-Year-Old Version", writer-director Radha Blank has created a winning movie that follows a woman of color coming to terms with her art, her life, and her voice with honesty and wit
a story that will very truly nourish the soul; endearing, erudite and dripping with humour, Blank serves up an authentic commentary on the artist's struggle, from a perspective too often ignored, and delivers a lyrical love letter to New York
a personal, playful, and poignant examination of a mid-career artist; Playwright Radha Blank's spirited directorial debut "The 40-Year-Old Version" in an often hilarious and heartfelt autobiographical tale of reinvention
a debut that sings (and raps) with delight; It's a love letter to the people of pre-gentrified Harlem, to old-school hip-hop, to struggling artists, to young people with big dreams and to black women who dare to live life out of the box
"The 40-Year-Old Version" has a fascinating meta quality lurking just beneath its playful surface, as it documents a creative crisis on the brink of a solution -- and, with this charming first feature, finds that solution with its very existence
by Emma Simmonds [The List Film (UK) ]
