You Were Never Really Here

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1:35

You Were Never Really Here

R

2018

1h 30m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

287 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A contract killer uncovers a conspiracy while trying to save a kidnapped teen from a life of prostitution.

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Critics Consensus

Bracingly elevated by a typically committed lead performance from Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here confirms writer-director Lynne Ramsay as one of modern cinema's most unique -- and uncompromising -- voices.

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Leslie Felperin

The Hollywood Reporter

12/26/2018

[T]his intoxicatingly stylish work is all over the place, a hot mess at times so ravishing it sends shivers down to the toes. Unfortunately, it's also at times just plain crass and silly.

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Chris Nashawaty

Entertainment Weekly

12/26/2018

B-

In the end, there's no question that what you're watching is a masterfully-made movie, albeit one that's easier to admire from afar than up close.

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Emily St. James

Vox

12/26/2018

4/5

It's the kind of movie I'm glad [Ramsay] made because her interrogation of Joe's masculinity is the sort of thing endemic to the material that many male directors might have missed in an attempt to make the movie more "exciting."

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

08/23/2024

A cryptically stunning crime drama casting Joaquin Phoenix as a contract killer whose comingled violence and conscience-stricken pain are complicated by PTSD as a Gulf War veteran...

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JD Duran

InSession Film

08/07/2024

There's something about Phoenix taps into Joe's ability to both transcend his PTSD (ie. save young women from dangerous situations) and suffer heavily from it. It makes those final moments at the diner so beautiful...

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Erica Richards

InSession Film

07/08/2024

B

You Were Never Really Here is not for the faint of heart–it is cold and violent but there are extremely important messages throughout.

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Dogcat T

@Dadogcat Jun 6

It’s alright I guess. Maybe it’s just me but I didn’t fully understand it, especially the ending. Some elements are done ok, but I’m just not really sure what it was ultimately trying to say.

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S. O

@Col._Angus Jun 5

This one's a bit of a slow burn, with equal parts violence and trauma. I didn't love it, but some of that could be because I just watched Inherent Vice right before this, and I liked IV so much more. Check that one it. It's great.

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Kashgar A

@AllFunAndGames May 21

Aspects of this film were brilliant. So why only two stars? The pacing is glacial. The plot is at times confusing…who allows their daughter to be trafficked to someone they personally know, yet hire a hitman to get her back? The soundtrack is atrocious, all mumbled dialogue interspersed with jarring loud background noise. In the end, it was all a bit frustrating.

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Ian W.

@iwaldman Mar 12

So little but so much, like this review

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Jean S

@Jean63 Feb 5

I wish "I was never really here" thank gosh it only went for an hour and a half

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GoodpixelProductions J

@JMAUDIO-EDITIONS-NY Jan 27

You Were Never Really Here is one of those rare films that stays with you long after the credits roll. Lynne Ramsay’s direction is bold - story unfolds in fragments: flashes of memory, blurred violence. Rather than spoon-feed the audience, the film trusts you to piece things together making it more powerful and hits hard on being disturbing. Jonny Greenwood’s score is another standout the music doesn’t just support the film—it becomes part of its emotional language. What really makes You Were Never Really Here special is its restraint. It could have been a typical "vigilante thriller,"- its fresh take and It treats its subject matter with seriousness and empathy, never turning suffering into spectacle. This is not an easy or comforting movie,- It rewards patience, attention, and emotional openness. If you appreciate thoughtful, artful cinema that takes risks and respects its audience, You Were Never Really Here is unforgettable.

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Synopsis

A contract killer uncovers a conspiracy while trying to save a kidnapped teen from a life of prostitution.

Director: Lynne Ramsay
Producer: Rosa Attab, Pascal Caucheteux, James Wilson, Lynne Ramsay
Screenwriter: Lynne Ramsay, Jonathan Ames
Distributor: Amazon Studios
Production Co: JW Films, Sixteen Films, Why Not Productions, Amazon Studios, British Film Institute, Film4
Rating: R (Disturbing and Grisly Images|Brief Nudity|Language|Strong Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 6, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 3, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.5M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1