Karry
Best movie of this year hands down!
Pluskylang
Great Film overall
Infamousta
brilliant actors, brilliant editing
Keeley Coleman
The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
alijavad-604-125559
This is by far the most prized Iranian film made after revolution. Acting, directing, and cinematography is unmatched by any Iranian movie. Unlike other films that have to work under the veil of censorship, this film is real.It's a beautiful, melodic, poetic love story told with color and light. Amazing care is taken to to keep the integrity of the story. Scenes of Iran, locations, props and set designs all have deep and real Iranian roots. I did not see this film when it first came on,I thought it was a porn! but then I saw it and fell in love with it. I see about 5 films a week, this was one of the best!My sincere congratulations to this young director for creating such a master work.
evgenia
Movie is erratic, obscure and basically resemble a long video clip. Its plot hard to follow and characters are weekly developed, most plot twists are logically disconnected. So why is this debut feature movie got Sundance audience award, was reviewed by most prominent American newspapers and was shown in numerous American theaters? Difficulties of lesbian love in Iran is widely compelling, so it's pretty easy to speculate on the subject and arouse more public outrage against Islamic republic regime on the whole, which is exactly the present agenda. That's the only plausible explanation Even if the director as she stated made a movie about her youth and experience in Iran, it turned out to be a spot on for western anti-Iranian propaganda. This is the only reason the movie being noticed, awarded, discussed and promoted. So it's obvious that the subject of forbidden lesbian love is alluring and induces great empathy, and is truly sad. This movie, however, does not really focus on that, putting a side the fact, that girls are so far from real lesbians and are more of a man's dream of lesbians. Movie is exceptionally superficial and mostly focuses on the physical aspect of the girls relationship, bed scenes are shot in the music clip manner. Most part of the film girls go from one party to another and once even have to run away from the moral police (duh). Their 'fight' for human rights is represented, I assume, by their secretly doubling movie 'Milk' with two allegedly gay guys. Only the process of doubling an intercourse scene of Harvy Milk and his lover is shown though. The most meaningful dialog that took place among the characters on the human rights subject is one where they jokingly argue whether having sex with whoever you want is a an indivisible human right or not. The director, moreover, tried to make out of this scattered music clip a melodramatic thriller on top of all. Thus the older brother of Atefeh, Mehran, who is an ex heroin addict, and supposedly a talented pianist has been recently released from a rehab and became a righteous Muslim overnight. He calls moral police on his friend's grandiose party and apparently completely renounces his old life style. His new obsession is Shirin, who is from an impoverished family of university professors, supposedly killed for their anti-government actions. Mehran, who often sits in front of his computer turned out is spying on Shirin by installing hidden cameras all over the house. He is an extremely bad copy of William Baldwin's character in 'Silver'. He looks pathetic and comic trying to depict an obsessed psychopath. Finally he blackmails Shirin and makes her marry him, since he recorded her doubling 'milk' and can put her to jail. The funny thing is that he is more than Shirin could ever dream about - Her uncle has been pushing her to get married for quite a while and another beau was much worse of a deal anyway. Film ends by Shrirn kissing her husband goodbye, who all of a sudden became an ambitious businessman and is going to work in his Mercedes. Atefeh bribes a travel agent with her daddy's money and gets a visa and a ticket to Dubai, where she thinks 'everything is possible'. The whole film is so absurd and out of place, and characters are so weakly developed, that its dramatic part is just sort of comic in a bad way. Apart from all its nonsense script, awful editing, unconvincing performance, the movie does not even appeal to an average Tehranian because It is entirely detached from reality.
Celtic Harp
The truth is I didn't have much expectations from this movie, for no special reason. But I was really surprised in a good way at the end!The suppressed emotions these two girls have, the way they are revealed to us, the dreams they have, the way women live in Iran...I was shocked in a way by this movie.. It made me want to search more about the living conditions (for women mostly) in Iran, and in Muslim countries in general.This movie could be the Iranian version of "Fire" ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116308/ ). I'm pretty sure you will like this one if you liked Fire.I totally recommend this movie, especially if you're into lesbian movies :)
dianawatt
Just watched this. If this is what Iran is like even slightly I am extremely glad I don't live there. Beautiful settings, but several things got to me - the beach where men were wandering into the sea in budgie smugglers and shorts while the women were not swimming and covered head to foot. Then there was the notion of a man saying something in public about controlling his wife without people looking at him as though he is a bit psycho. The morality police was a surprise, and the idea that women who drive can be pulled over by the police - I am not sure if it was the stereo was on or because they were women. I knew about the having to have a male relatives permission to travel.. It seems extremely repressive to me, but there are definitely lighter moments. I rather liked the idea of coats and veils hiding dance clothes, and the parents were lovely.