Very brief thoughts on Head to Head (2026) Toronto 2026

A female filmmaker in Iran makes a film where the men in the film have to dress with headscarves and dresses. When authorities become aware of what she is doing things become complicated.

I like this film. I think this would have been a great film short film. This isn't to lessen the film, but more that the film kind of makes it's points early on.

That said it's worth a look.

Brief first thoughts on The President's Cake (2025)

Set during the reign of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, this is the story of Lamia, a young girl from a poor family, who is told by her teacher that she must make a cake for the President's birthday or there will be dire consequences. She then is forced to go out to get the ingredients she needs.

This film is on the Oscar Short List this year for Best International Feature. It is a film that has been recommended to me by several friends... and now having seen it it is a film I will need to see again away from the Oscars and the word of mouth. I want to revisit because I need to get the distance from the hype and discussion that made me jump into the film too quickly.

I should say straight up that this is a very good film. I like it, hence the desire to revisit, but I didn't find the greatness that some did, and as a result I am dealing with the collision between the words of people I respect and the the film I saw on the screen.

My issues with the film come from two places:

The first is that while the film is very much about the trials of the young girl at the center, the film isn't about Lamia, the girl at the at the center. What I mean by this is that the quest to get the things to make the cake is simply the reason for writer director Hasan Hadi to explore society, particularly the one that existed under Saddam. The trip is designed to bring the girl into places where things can happen that will be reflected in the story. Why do the things happen? Because the director is trying to tell a larger tale.

While this is an issue it could have been solved had there not been a second problem. The second problem is that the Lamia, played by Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, is little more than just a place holder for the audience.  Yes, Nayyef is good, but the script doesn't give her enough to work with to stand out. Yes she is often the focus of events and is at the center of the screen, but there isn't enough to the character for her to be a fully formed person. I apologize for making this point but right around the time I was making my best of 2025 lists I had a couple of conversations about the difficulty of having a central character who is the "main" one but who isn't. What I mean by that is the central character who exists just to move the story or audience to a place where the events can transpire that the director wants to highlight. You have to create a character that stands out from the rest or alternately have an actor who can hold the center.  I don't think there is enough of a character here for that to happen.

While I don't hate THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE I definitely will need to revist.

CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS (2025) DOC NYC 2025 and in theaters

Sara Shahverdi is a motorcycle riding, divorced woman who is one of the leaders in her village in Iran. She is a no nonsense sort of person who wants to change the world and give the women in her village and country greater autonomy. However the old ways die hard, and even the members of her family don't always side with her.

This Oscar hopeful documentary may have a tough go of it to get the gold statue, since this is not a simple good versus evil tale, there are too many complications which the Academy hates. On the other hand people who want real world stories without simple solutions are going to eat this up. There is a great deal going on here. A great deal of what we see is not always the way things are or subject to change from one moment to the next. This film is a literal rollercoaster of emotions.

What makes this film so compelling is that the film doesn't sugar coat anything. Many documerntaries simplify things down  to the point where everything is black and white. CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS doesn't sugar coat anything, yes there are some small inroads being made by Shahverdi to change the way things are, but at the same time some people are not going to be moved.

You will forgive me for not going into great detail about what happens over the course of the film, but part of the power of the film is going into it and not being prepared for what happens. As I said above the film is not like any other documentary in its narrative course, with the result that we are constantly surprised at how things go. I do not want to give you any clue as to what happens since the power of the film is in watching life and arguments unfold before you.

This is a hell of a tale, about a hell of a woman. Almost certain to be in the Oscar mix, this is a film you'll want to see.

that night (2025) DOC NYC 2025

Neda Naji recounts her time in the infamous Evin prison, particularly during the massive fire that tore through a section of the facility.

This is a great little film. It’s a film that explains what a messed-up place that Iran because of how it treats women and their prisoners. To be honest while the film is focused on the period around the fire there is enough here that will make you wish that the film was a feature that covered more. I say this as someone who has seen a large number of films, both docs and features, about the prisons of Iran and this film is one of the rare ones that breaks down the barriers between the subject and the audience. We feel what the people on the screen are experiencing it emotionally as opposed to intellectually.

This is a solid film and is recommended.

It Was Just An Accident (2025) NYFF 2025

Jafar Panahi’s latest is the story of a man who kidnaps a man called Peg Leg who had tortured him when he was arrested. He wants to bury him alive in the desert, but finds he isn’t 100% certain he is right. He then tries to get confirmation, and things begin to spiral off unexpectedly.

This is a low key black comedy with a sting in its tail. As things go, our hero picks up various people to help him decide if this is the guy.  No one is completely certain since they were blindfolded the whole time, so there is a lot of discussion about if they are sure, it’s the right guy. It’s a film that walks uneasily on the line between entertainment and political statement. I think it mostly remains on the side of entertainment. (Though it occasionally falls into the realm of polemic more than Panahi’s other recent films).

To be fair I was feeling lost for about the first 15 minutes. I did not know where the film was going because so much was unsaid. Once we were told why things were playing out I was fine.  

I really liked this.  While I don’t think it’s quite up to Panahi’s other recent films, I do think it’s quite good on its own terms. (I also understand why some of my friends were not thrilled with the film since the low key nature of the telling is not for everyone.)

Recommended, especially for fans of the director.

JULIET AND THE KING(2025) Fantasia 2025

This poster does no justice to the art in this film.

JULIET AND THE KING is a delightful, animated film about a theatrical troop that is brought to Iran to perform a version of Romeo and Juliet with the Shah as part of the cast.

I had a blast with this film. 

To be certain it isn’t perfect, but at the same time it is so absolutely not Hollywood that you forgive any flaws as you watch some brilliant things transpire before our eyes. The characters on screen are not really like anything that we've seen here in America. The plot does not flow as we expect and there is real danger at times. The hows and whys of it all doesn't feel old hat.

Yes, the animation is wonderful. There are small details everywhere that will make the animation junkies, like me, grin with delight..

I loved this.

As someone who is tired of everything being Disney or 3D computer animated, this film is a breath of fresh air that harkens back to the work of Don Bluth or Richard Williams.

Highly recommended.

Tatami (2023) opens Friday

Leila, an Iranian Judo champion, travels to Georgia with her team for a competition. When the possibility of her having to compete against an Israeli athlete arises (something forbidden by the government) she is ordered to fake an injury. When she refuses she and her family are threatened.

This solid political thriller is based on actual events. The Iranian government has been manipulating things for ther own ends for years and we can feel the real world tension bleeding off the screen. You can sense how this is going to go. What sets the film apart, though, is that there is a point where the film turns. The film doesn't take the expected route to the end, and we are better for it.  I say that because when the film turned the film lifted up a couple points in my eyes.

Shot in a moody black and white with a deliberate aspect ratio that creates a sense of claustraphobia TATAMI grabs us early and drags us along.

Recommended

KISSES AND BULLETS (2025) Tribeca 2025

This is the story of two women, on in New York and one in Iran who protest the Iranian government as part of the ementWomen, Life and Freedom Mov in 2022 and connect via photos.

This film will make you cry. A staggering exploration of courage under fire and self expression. It’s a film about doing the right thing despite the potential cost.

I was moved.

While I thought that the film should lead into a feature, the truth is the end final third of the film is so perfect and so moving that I don’t want it ruined.

Wow.

One of the best at Tribeca

GRAND ME (2024) NDNF 2025

A nine year old girl who lives with her grandparents in Iran institutes a legal proceeding to stay with the parent of her choice, but it doesn't play out as she expects it to.

Shot by the young girl's aunt this is a warts and all portrait of a little girl you are either going to love or want to hit. A self absorbed kid who thinks she's got it all figured out I never warmed to her  and wished  someone would knock some sense into her. Because I didn't care for the kid at the center of the film I found it hard to feel for her plight.

While the look at Iranian society from a different perspective is very enlightening, there wasn't much here for me to hang on to. 

Your mileage may vary

DOC NYC Capsule reviews :Iranian Edition GOOGOOSH MADE OF FIRE and MY STOLEN PLANET

GOOGOOSH – MADE OF FIRE 
Portrait of actress and singer Googoosh who was one of the biggest performers in the world until she was placed under arrest by Iranian authorities. Eventually freed she moved to the US and staged a come back. She is an outspoken opponent to the Iranian regime. This is a really good portrait of a woman who has been struggling to lead her life in her own way. It's a film full o f great music and conversation as Googoosh performs and sits down and talks to the filmmakers of her life.

Recommended.

MY STOLEN PLANET

Director Farahnaz Sharifi charts what life was like after the Iranian revolution. Using old home movies, recollections and recreations she shows the hidden life of women in the repressive country. It's a heady mix of a world most of the world was unaware of. It's a stunning piece of filmmaking that will make you ponder the furture not only for Iran but the rest of the world.

Recommended.

Universal Language (2024) NYFF 2024

 

I started laughing almost from the first frame and continued doing so until the end credits. I laughed more at this film than almost any American comedy of the last two decades.

At the outset the plot of UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE seems to be several different stories. The truth is it’s all one big interconnected tale, you just have to stick with it until all the pieces line up.  Don't worry that isn’t going to be a problem because the film is going to be making you laugh out loud for most of its running time.

The humor is very much absurdist of the best sort. Think of it as something akin to the manic madness of a Marx Brothers comedy but with a more modern and less devil may care attitude.  Referencing the Marx’s may make you wonder how that is possible, but something happens in the first few minutes that makes you realize that is the absurdist territory we are operating in. (I will not spoil it)

What I love about the film is that the humor isn’t dry or forced.  Too many absurdist comedies don’t feel real and feel like they are trying to make a point. Eugène Ionesco’s plays which are excellent absurdist pieces, can, when done badly feel forced. Here there is things feel silly absurd but they also feel grounded. We can see the things that happen actually happen.  I can see myself trying to figure out how to get stuck money, deal with stolen glasses or pretty much anything else that happens here including dealing with turkeys.

I laughed out loud from start to finish, and when I wasn’t laughing I was smiling.

And I know there is more to this film beyond the laughs, but the laughs and smiles are what I took away from the film, so that is what I am reporting on.

I love this film.

Highly recommended.

A pointer toward Seven Days (2024) Toronto 2024

An Iranian activist is quietly released from prison so she can get medical treatment and to see her family. During the trip the woman has to decide if she is going to flee.

This is a good political drama involving Iran that has the unfortunate problem of being one of an increasing number of similar films.  On it’s own terms it’s a solid piece of filmmaking, however if you are someone like me  it is also similar to a number of recent films (Including other films also playing at TIFF). Because of this I can’t honestly say anything that this is a good film and if the subject interests you it’s worth seeing.

Worth a look

The Witness (2024) Venice 2024

A woman sees a politically connected man kill his wife, a dance instructor. However because of his connection the cops they won’t do anything. Will she give up or search for justice.

Damning portrait of Iranian society is a long pained scream. This is a film where men  are constantly complaining about how the women can’t do anything without their say lest it ruin their standing. Women are abused and literally killed because they are less then men. This is a film that shows just how stacked against women Iranian justice is.

Unfortunately THE WITNESS is so set on making it’s point that that film slips from compelling drama into being a polemic. This is a film that very much wants to make it’s point and it does so loudly, repeatedly. After a while I kind of tuned out as the filmmakers didn’t make their points but yelled them at me at volume.

And then strangely the final scene came…and I was completely shocked. I’m not going to say what happens but the ending sequence is truly one of the greatest endings of the last decade. It is so unexpected and note perfect  that it makes watching the rest of the film worth it. I don’t know if it’s remotely realistic but god damn it is emotionally dead on.

It really is a stunner.

If you want to see a great ending and get really pissed off at Iran I recommend THE WITNESS

MEEZAN (SCALE) (2023) NDNF 2024

Shahab Mihandoust’s portrait of the fishing industry in Iran’s Khuzestan province is a stunner. A three part tale the film follows what happens on the boats, on the wharf where they doc ans in the processing lpant where the fish ends up.

This film is a visual and audio stunner. I described the film as one of the most "you are there" films I've ever run across. Mihandoust’s puts us in the thick of things, do so in a way that doesn't make us just an observer but a participant. 

As for the audio, it's as environmentally perfect as they come. What makes the film so special is that we don't have the absolute pinpoint perfection of most films, you know where every sound is perfectly placed and so it creates an unreal world. Here instead is soundtrack that puts us in a place. I mention this because when I asked about getting access to the film I received an email from Mr. Mihandoust who told me if I did not see the film in a cinema I absolutely must wear headphones. He was dead on right. Never have I ever experienced a place via audio quite like this. I actually replayed several sections of the film just so I could close my eyes and really take in the sound. This needs to be in the Oscar race for best sound design.

Technical achievements aside the film is magnificent. If documentaries are supposed to show us things we never knew, this film does it in spades. Sure I've seen films, both documentary and narrative on fishing, but never have I understood how it all fits together. Additionally this is a film that really puts s into the lives of everyone on screen.

This is one of the best films at this year's New Director's New Films and one of the most amazing films I've seen in 2024.

Go see this big and loud and be amazed.

WHAT DID YOU DREAM LAST NIGHT, PARAJANOV? First Look Fest 2024

 

Filmmaker Faraz Fesharaki mixes some home video footage of when he was child performing in a school pageant with zoom calls between himself and other members of his family who have scattered all over the world after leaving Iran. Over the course of the film we see the state of the family and the country they left behind.

I’m going to be honest this film didn’t work for me. The fact that we are simply listening to family conversations is interesting for a while, but there was a point about a third of the way in where I kind of stopped caring.  The film is much too static with everyone sitting or laying down and simply talking to the camera. While what they are saying is interested there isn’t enough here to keep my interest. My gaze kept drift despite Fesharaki efforts to make it compelling.  Perhaps this will play differently in a darkened theater, but at home watching a review copy I drifted.

Achilles (2023) plays Saturday at First Look Fest 2024

It has been a over a week since I first saw ACHILLES and I am still haunted. This is a road trip to oppression that forces you to really ponder freedom, personal and artistic.

This is the story of a man named Achilles. Working at a hospital with orthopedics. Late one night  he is called to the psyche It seems a woman has broken  her hand from punching the wall, This is Hedieh, she is a political prisoner who is being held and medicated. Achilles becomes intrigued by her and he decides to take her out.

This is a film you need to just buy a ticket for and just watch, preferably in a theater where the world can be pushed away and the film can just happen. I say that because this is a deliberately made film that uses long takes, silences and intriguing visual cues that you need to really pay attention to. I say that because I got to a certain point and I had a grand "ah ha" moment and I saw how it was all going together before the narrative sucked me back into it.

I was rocked. Partly because the film is so good, and partly because the film has a great deal to say about creatives trapped in an oppressive regime. Knowing that Achilles is a filmmaker who has given up filmmaking one can not help but think of Jafar Panahi who been arrested by Iranian authorities because he will not stop speaking his truth. The film will make you wonder how director Farhad Delaram, himself being a person who was detained by authorities, made the film in Iran.

This is an amazing film you need to see.

Do yourself a favor and buy a ticket and get lost. Give yourself over to it's very deliberate pacing and construction and be moved.

Highly recommended

Siren (2023) closes Animation First 2024 Sunday

1980 the Iran Iraq war begins when Iraq attacks the oil producing city of Abadan. As his brother goes to fight and the rest of his family flees, Omid decides to stay behind to help his grandfather tend their groves. However the war has other plans for the young man.

I initially wasn't connecting to this film. There was something about the set up that didn't click with me. However once the family leaves, and Omid is moving around in the city  meeting people the film clicks into high gear and it kept me staring at the screen not wanting to look away lest I missed something.

There is much to recommend this film. From the mere fact that we are seeing a film about a war we, in America, never talk about, to the fact that the film is showing us a side of war I've never run across before. There is something about the way the film shows us a whole city trying to survive that makes it something special.

I was deeply moved. While the film is very deliberately constructed, the opening sequence which seems slightly out of place pays off at the end, the film still feels organic and alive. Yes the situations maybe connected together to tell an expansive story, but the incidents and people are dead on real. How people react feels honest and true, more than in most similar war films where everyone becomes a type.

There was a point somewhere in the middle where I was shocked, first that I didn't like it to start, and second I was floored that more people weren't talking about it. This is simply a great tale full of life and humanity that we all need to see.

One of my early editions to my end of year lists, I can not wait to see it again and to share it with friends and family.

Highly recommended.

In The Land of Brothers (2024) Sundance 2024

An Afghan family moves to Iran and spends decades living and waiting for citizenship, and most importantly a place where they belong.

This is a very good look at a side of life most of us really haven';t considered. Sure we have seen numerous films about being a migrant or a refugee, but we haven't seen one from the perspective of a family moving through Muslim Nations. More times than not it's a trip to Europe. While Europe figures into the tale it's not the focus. I mention this up front because this focus is what makes the film instantly worth seeing.

I really liked IN THE LAND OF BROTHERS a great deal. It's a film that took me a little bit to get into, I was expecting something slightly different, so I didn't warm to it at first. Then somewhere along the way I clicked with it's rhythms and was carried along. I loved that no one and nothing is what I expected, so much so that the ending, the final images moved me deeply...and more importantly haunted me as I went through the rest of my day after watching it.

This is one you'll want to see. 

Recommended

Seven Winters in Tehran (2023) HRW 2023

Hands down the best film at this years New York edition of The Human Rights Watch Film Festival SEVEN WINTERS IN TEHRAN is going to kick you to the curb and leave you feeling numb. It's a must see film that will make you angry beyond words.

The film is the story of Reyhaneh Jabbari who was sentenced to die after she killed the man who tried to rape after he broke into her house. As she headed to the gallows her family and friends tried to free her and ended up helping many other people along the way.

In all honesty I have no words. At a time where women are struggling to retain control of their bodies, stories like this show how bad things can get. It's stories like this that perfectly explain why people don't particularly good things to say about the leadership of Iran or about religious groups that advocate the lesser place of women. 

I was pretty much depressed from start to finish. By the time the film ended I just sat staring at the screen wondering why I bothered to see the film and pondering how I could kill everyone in the Iranian leadership (That's not a serious threat simply an expression about my complete and utter disgust for everyone involved in the prosecution).

While it speaks specifically to what happened in Iran, SEVEN WINTERS is a dire warning from the front line of the war against women. This is what can and will happen if backward thinking and hatred for half the population of the earth is allowed to take root.

You will forgive me if this isn't a proper review, but SEVEN WINTERS isn't a typical film, rather it's a call to arms and plea to do something since it reveals quite clearly how good people are dying for bigoted reasons.

A must see.

SEVEN WINTERS IN TEHRAN plays the Human Rights Watch Film Festival May 31st at Lincoln Center and June 7 at the IFC Center. 

For more information and tickets go here

WORLD WAR 3 (2022) Fantaspoa 2023

Iran’s entry for last years Oscar is kick in the pants. I completely understand why the film was chosen for a run at the Oscars and I’m  completely at a loss as to why the film hasn’t had more buzz surrounding it. Then again the film comes from Iran and it deals with difficult subjects.

The film concerns a day laborer who is in a relationship with a deaf woman. When one of his jobs puts him on a movie set he finds his fortunes are changing. However his bringing his girlfriend to the set and his getting a role in the film, which is about the Holocaust, spins things out of control.

This is a difficult film, partly because the subject matter is heavy but the whole layer of Holocaust deepens the feelings of a world out of balance. While you might think that the mixture might be showboating, the truth is the  mixture works and it forces us to really consider what we are seeing.  When the film ended my first thought was I had to see the film again, which was followed by my thought that I would wait for the film to get off the festival circuit because I need to get some distance.

You will forgive me if I don’t do a lot of discussing of the film, my thoughts have yet to transfer from the pure emotional reaction I had to the film into words I can express.

What I can say is that it’s nice to see a film that was picked to be in the Oscar mix that belonged there. I also love that this film completely blindsided me and left me staring at the screen trying desperately to get the words to full engage with it.

While not for everyone, I think this is easily one of the best films I saw at Fantaspoa.

Highly recommended.