however, kyle smith of the "new york post" writes: "a backstage drama that has all the sizzle of a glass of water resting on the windowsill, [...] "clouds of sils maria" mistakes lack of dramatic imagination for smoldering subtlety." richard brody from "the new yorker" writes: "clouds of sils maria, as the title suggests, is a sort of travelogue, a commercial for european cultural tourism, and, as such, it's the perfect image of the very system that created it. there's almost no independent filmmaking in france, and there isn't supposed to be. if there were, it would stand as a threat to the system that, by way of training, enticements, and restrictions, is the source of the comforts that the movie depicts and that the movie reflects. the mediocrity is stifling."