The Tribe, the first full-length feature from Miroslav Slaboshpitsky, is presented in Ukrainian sign language, minus any subtitles or spoken dialogue, and contains instances of horrific violence (and quite graphic fornication) during gruellingly long takes that invoke many questions as to how certain scenes were even achieved without any genuine physical harm to the young men and women involved. The film is nothing if not an audacious directorial debut; a grand, horrifying cinematic mission statement that might particularly appeal to the likes of Michael Haneke and, especially, Gaspar Noé. The trouble is that shock value only gets you so far, and what’s in the breaks between the blows (both confrontational blows and sexual ones) doesn’t necessarily suggest there’s much beyond blunt shock value here…

Full review for The Skinny