Timeout, 13 October 1999

Trevar Johnson
"…Full marks to the NFT for picking up one of the most powerful, yet largely unheralded, releases of the year. This second feature from writer-director Yesim Ustaoğlu displays a quality all too rare in recent cinema - it obviously takes extraordinary courage to speak out against the repressive security forces. What's more, her film is laudably even-handed in showing that ordinary Turks and Kurds share a pretty similar lot despite the obvious political issues driving a wedge between them. Noble intentions don't necessarily make a great movie, but the authentic performances from a nonprofessional cast, and Ustaoğlu's care to keep the storyline credible as tension mounts, combine to create a compelling, eye-opening experience…"

"…The film moves from a vivid depiction of urban squalor out into the farthest reaches of its native land, where we find scenes of utter desolation to cap the protagonist's own journey towards the realisation of a deep, common humanity, This humbling film is not to be missed…"

The New York Times, 29 March 2000

Elvis Mitchell
"…The haunting "Journey to the Sun" teems with life…"
"…Ms. Ustaoğlu's accumulation of emotional detail quietly pays off, on , and "Journey to the Sun" vibrates with knowing…"

NTF / Festivals, 13 October 1999

Mansel Stimpson
"…This is exactly the kind of film which should receive a first run at the National film Theatre. It may not have been regarded as having sufficient commercial appeal to gain distribution here, but Journey to the Sun is a thoroughly sound piece of work which deserves to be seen…"