Manifesto

"“Manifesto” is another way of saying “mission statement” or “declaration of intent.” Not the sort of thing you expect a Christian to utter around the dinner table, eyes closed, as they give thanks. If a manifesto is delivered in the form of a prayer, is it still a prayer? Is one delivered in the form of a eulogy, with no mention of the deceased person, still a eulogy? What if one were delivered as a live, at-the-scene report during the nightly news?"

"Even as Rosefeldt mines intellectual elitism, he reveals a disdain for pretension in the film's centerpiece monologue."

""Manifesto" may not adhere to any conventional narrative structure, but it's compulsively watchable all the same..."

"As an installation, "Manifesto" may have seemed like a sensory onslaught. As a movie, it's a very elaborate intellectual exercise, immaculate in every technical detail."

"It's no longer a showcase primarily for the artist. Manifesto becomes a tribute to the actor - and to the process of acting itself."

"Whatever Rosefeldt intended, "Manifesto" doesn't quite set forth a manifesto of its own. But it's a blast of fresh air."

"Confidently fulfils its ambitious intent with ease."

"Rosefeldt and a very game Blanchett spring one surprising creation on the viewer after the other. But what it all adds up to is of course up for debate."