The Novice (2021)

"Fuhrman's performance is so unhinged, and Hadaway's direction is so merciless, that The Novice constantly dances on the edge of character drama and full-fledged horror movie. It's an impressive feat of incisively dark tone, even if the plot and characters are little more than shadows."

"Fuhrman’s performance matches the filmmaking for its intensity."

"It’s Furhman, steadily building Alex from the inside out, even as she’s crumbling around her, that adds the most tension and intensity to the film..."

"While the film never loses its bloody-fingered grasp of the emotional moment, it falls short on a broader psychological level."

"A darkly thrilling debut."

"Alex’s backstory is left largely out of sight, lending the film a hazy lack of specificity that ultimately dulls the psychological impact of its climax."

"An intimate and powerful sensory experience all around."

"The movie captures what it looks like when the hunger to win blots out life."

"An intriguingly enigmatic character study..."

"In (Hadaway's) confident hands, what could have been just another underdog story becomes a tense, allegorical character study."