[6] Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote that the film "is inevitably diverting as a well-shot partial peek behind the scenes, but reveals far less than intended.
"[7] Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the documentary becomes most interesting when it explores the theatre's internal politics.
[9] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated it 4/5 stars and wrote, "This enthralling documentary reveals the extraordinary upheavals at the Bolshoi Ballet as the tip of Russia’s rage iceberg".
[10] Brian Siebert of The New York Times called it "more attractive than illuminating", as it is "surprisingly short on drama" considering the subject matter.
[11] Laura Bleiberg of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "These twin tracts of darkness and light, the sordid and the sublime, quite effectively submerge the viewer into a closed world.