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The Public

The Public

Drama · 2019

An act of civil disobedience turns into a standoff with police when homeless people in Cincinnati take over the public library to seek shelter from the bitter cold.

Movie details

The Public

“Every story matters.”

2019 Drama 2h 2m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.6 / 10

4.7K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

65 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

46 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

An act of civil disobedience turns into a standoff with police when homeless people in Cincinnati take over the public library to seek shelter from the bitter cold.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Public?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Run the Race

Run the Race

Drama · 2019

Reeling from his mother’s death and his father’s abandonment, Zach, an All-State athlete, finds glory on the football field, working to earn a college scholarship and the brothers’ ticket out of town. When a devastating injury puts Zach—and his dreams—on the sidelines, David laces up his track cleats to salvage their future and point Zach toward hope.

Columbus

Columbus

Drama · 2017

When a renowned architecture scholar falls suddenly ill during a speaking tour, his son Jin finds himself stranded in Columbus, Indiana - a small Midwestern city celebrated for its many significant modernist buildings. Jin strikes up a friendship with Casey, a young architecture enthusiast who works at the local library.

Ladybird Ladybird

Ladybird Ladybird

Drama · 1994

Maggie has had four children, by four different fathers, removed by social services because of a previous violent relationship. When she meets Jorge, a gentle Latin American refugee, she gradually sees her chance for happiness, but her past still haunts her.

Waiting for Anya

Waiting for Anya

Drama · 2020

During the harrows of WWII, Jo, a young shepherd along with the help of the widow Horcada, helps to smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

Drama · 1972

Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters Ruth and Matilda are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.

Mr. Church

Mr. Church

Drama · 2016

A unique friendship develops when a little girl and her dying mother inherit a cook - Mr. Church. What begins as an arrangement that should only last six months, instead spans fifteen years.

The Banker

The Banker

Drama · 2020

In the 1960s, two entrepreneurs hatch an ingenious business plan to fight for housing integration—and equal access to the American Dream.

Ordinary Angels

Ordinary Angels

Drama · 2024

Inspired by the incredible true story of a hairdresser who single-handedly rallies an entire community to help a widowed father save the life of his critically ill young daughter.

Come Sunday

Come Sunday

Drama · 2018

Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.

Riot in Cell Block 11

Riot in Cell Block 11

Crime · 1954

A prisoner leads his counterparts in a protest for better living conditions which turns violent and ugly.

Where it lives

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Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Emilio Estevez

Written by

Emilio Estevez

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin

Detective Bill Ramstead

Taylor Schilling

Taylor Schilling

Angela

Emilio Estevez

Emilio Estevez

Stuart

Jena Malone

Jena Malone

Myra

Christian Slater

Christian Slater

Josh Davis

Jacob Vargas

Jacob Vargas

Ernesto Ramirez

Gabrielle Union

Gabrielle Union

Rebecca Parks

Court is in session

Put The Public on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.