Barbara Goslawski
Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:
Barbara has worked as a freelance writer and film critic for the past 30 years. Her career began as co-host and co-producer for CKLN radio’s film show, Frameline, which now continues as a podcast. She has also contributed to numerous dailies and magazines including The Globe and Mail and TIFF’s Canadian Film Encyclopedia, as well as to several books. A veteran of the Canadian film industry, Barbara has worked in many key areas including distribution and programming and has also served on various festival juries.
Everybody To Kenmure Street (2026)
100%
EDIT
“Everybody to Kenmure Street is an important representation of the power of the people.” –
POV Magazine
Jan 23, 2026
Full Review
Bugonia (2025)
88%
8/10
EDIT
“[Emma] Stone maintains a cold restraint, while [Jesse] Plemons's acting has been liberated to a completely passionate degree. ” –
Exclaim!
Oct 28, 2025
Full Review
Below the Clouds (2025)
94%
EDIT
“Rosi nimbly crafts a vibrant and intricate homage to this region.” –
POV Magazine
Sep 16, 2025
Full Review
The Tale of Silyan (2025)
100%
EDIT
“The genius of this documentary is how it makes something improbable like a fairytale come to life and make sense in a modern context.” –
POV Magazine
Sep 8, 2025
Full Review
Materialists (2025)
77%
EDIT
“In Materialists, the director is so busy with her messaging that she forgets to give her film any soul. ” –
ScreenAnarchy
Jun 11, 2025
Full Review
Assembly (2025)
EDIT
“Assembly brings important insight into Newsome’s art practice of collage as a form of world building, of constructing a new space to replace the old status quo, and this is an attempt to revitalize larger ideas around artistic practice.” –
POV Magazine
May 8, 2025
Full Review
The Alto Knights (2025)
40%
5/10
EDIT
“Robert De Niro is a force of nature, even in the worst of films.” –
Exclaim!
Apr 4, 2025
Full Review
Thank You Very Much (2023)
91%
EDIT
“Mostly, Thank You Very Much serves as a fitting tribute to Andy Kaufman's work. It's fun to reminisce about his wild antics and even more so to realize that the filmmaker may be up to his own. ” –
ScreenAnarchy
Mar 31, 2025
Full Review
Uvalde Mom (2025)
EDIT
“This stirring documentary grows from its singular focus into an investigation of a broken system, a fractured society and the unforeseen consequences of being a media celebrity.” –
ScreenAnarchy
Mar 31, 2025
Full Review
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) (2025)
93%
9/10
EDIT
“It confirms Sly's legacy will live on through the discussions the film engenders, ensuring our participation in its preservation.” –
Exclaim!
Mar 4, 2025
Full Review
Small Things Like These (2024)
93%
7/10
EDIT
“There's a quiet but gripping trepidation that lurks beneath the surface.” –
Exclaim!
Feb 11, 2025
Full Review
Cutting Through Rocks (2025)
100%
EDIT
“There’s an alchemy at work that transforms this individual focus into a frightening expression of reality.” –
POV Magazine
Feb 3, 2025
Full Review
Khartoum (2025)
93%
EDIT
“Revelling in its originality, Khartoum becomes a uniquely poignant hybrid documentary about a war-torn nation and its people. ” –
POV Magazine
Feb 3, 2025
Full Review
Beatles '64 (2024)
95%
6/10
EDIT
“In music, passion overrules reason, and sometimes that's just as important as anything else.” –
Exclaim!
Dec 16, 2024
Full Review
Universal Language (2024)
95%
EDIT
“Already celebrated for his unique brand of cinematic playfulness, Matthew Rankin (The Twentieth Century) crafts another brilliant blend of wit and formal rigour with his second feature, Universal Language.” –
That Shelf
Sep 22, 2024
Full Review
A Sisters' Tale (2024)
EDIT
“A Sisters’ Tale is one of those intimate docs that can leave a viewer wondering whether they should keep watching. It’s like disturbing a sanctuary. ” –
POV Magazine
Sep 18, 2024
Full Review
Anora (2024)
93%
EDIT
“Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Sean Baker’s Anora is a lively tour de force that hits in unexpected ways. The film is many things at once and yet so decisively unified.” –
That Shelf
Sep 6, 2024
Full Review
It Ends With Us (2024)
55%
4/10
EDIT
“Trauma is not a plot device to dangle around in order to amp up the drama.” –
Exclaim!
Aug 14, 2024
Full Review
Standing Above the Clouds (2020)
EDIT
“Standing Above the Clouds represents a communal act of resistance to forces that are threatening to destroy a cultural way of life.” –
POV Magazine
Jun 26, 2024
Full Review
Life Is Beautiful: A Letter to Gaza (2023)
EDIT
“While the film is a chronicle of Jabaly’s determination to both grow as an artist and to share stories of life in the Palestinian territory, Life Is Beautiful moves from a diary film to a statement on the idea of home as an unbreakable bond.” –
POV Magazine
Jun 26, 2024
Full Review
Kinds of Kindness (2024)
71%
5/10
EDIT
“Lanthimos can't be blamed for trying something new — it's just that not all experiments work.” –
Exclaim!
Jun 26, 2024
Full Review
Wicked Little Letters (2023)
80%
6/10
EDIT
“Wicked Little Letters would've been more interesting if it had just scratched below the surface.” –
Exclaim!
Apr 4, 2024
Full Review
The Promised Land (2023)
97%
8/10
EDIT
“In its interrogation of civilization versus barbarism, the film provides penetrating insight on the nature of true savagery.” –
Exclaim!
Apr 4, 2024
Full Review
Society of the Snow (2023)
90%
7/10
EDIT
“Society of the Snow rises above a run-of-the-mill survival story.” –
Exclaim!
Apr 4, 2024
Full Review
Queens (Reinas) (2024)
85%
EDIT
“Reinas is a charming film, a marvel of simplicity, made profound by the director’s subtle cinematic dexterity.” –
That Shelf
Jan 31, 2024
Full Review
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