Alice
I've read all the reviews, good and bad. Almost everything bad about this film has been mentioned. It's inauthentic, insincere, controversy-baiting, poorly written, poorly researched, etc. etc.Iran has a lot of good things and bad things, but this movie is not satisfied with either, so it invents a new country, the republic of Tehrangeles, and calls it Iran. There is almost nothing Iranian about this film. Yes, they speak Persian(ish?) but it's the equivalent of saying the movie "Rent" is representative of British culture because it's the same language. The disconnect between Iranian-Americans and Iranians is huge because Iran has gone through a revolution, war and an embargo, while the US went through many changes on its own.This film is the equivalent of a North Korean director making a film about South Korea and convincing the world that this is reality.But "wait!" you say. "Iran is the totalitarian state, not the US! Your example should be a South Korean director making a film about North Korean." But nopes. Iran has a lot of restrictions on society and filmmakers, yes, but this film constructs a fictional country.I cannot stress how bad this film is. Most of it is just shot in music video style. There is a scene where the two girls sit on top of a crossing railing, put their heads together and close their eyes. That's not something people actually do anywhere. That's music video material.So, what else do they do?1. It starts with a belly dancing scene. 2. Then there's playing piano and dancing-ish on the stool. 3. Then the girl(s) dance(s) in the taxi, saying "Turn up the volume. This song is orgasmic" - No one talks like that. It's a hip hop song. Get a grip. 4. There's the dancing on the bridge crossing. 5. There's a party and dancing at the party. 6. There's a scene, who cares what, but we go back to the party for more dancing. 7. The girl dances with her mom(?) as the mop up the floor. They stop cleaning the house and just go full dancing. 8. The family is singing on the way to the sea. 9. Dancing at a dinner table, the parents dance. 10. The girl stares out the window wistfully as she hears herself(?) sing. 11. Playing piano. 12. Singing a verse from the Quran. The word is technically recite/chant, but it's still melodic. 13. Dancing to Total Eclipse of the Heart 14. Some club, somewhere, dancing. I think this might be an imagination of life outside Iran. 15. Dancing in a hotel. Or was this the imagination? 16. Dancing in an illegal nightclub 17. Dancing in a car.This is still one hour into the film. I didn't bother keeping count after that.There are things that show how little the director knows about Iran or its culture. For example, even I know that people in mosques pray together. In sync. That's the whole point of group prayers in every culture in the world. It is to pray together. In this film the mosque scenes have people praying off sync. A group of 10+ praying men all praying on their own beat. You can say that they're praying off schedule (they missed the group prayer) and they're catching up before the next one, but as the shot lingers, it shows that they finish one after the other, every 3 seconds one finishes prayer. The first to finish and the last were about 20 seconds apart. So they were praying at the same time, same place, but some were off by a mere 3 seconds... what? No two people were praying together? Why even bother going to a mosque? It's like shooting a restaurant scene where no two people are sitting together. I'd give this film a zero, but IMDb won't let me. So it gets one star. But to be fair, it does get one star because it gives you an insight into the mind of an Iranian American. I have nothing against Iranian Americans, but a subsection of that particular demographic is as informed about Iran as the average American (so knowing little to nothing), which is fine, but a subsection of that demographic also think of themselves as an authority on the matter because of their genetics.Imagine if Katherine Heigl presented herself as an expert on East German culture, directing films about communism, the Berlin wall, the Stasi, etc. Then, instead of doing any research or going there, imagine her going to Prague to shoot the film, making a ridiculous story about graffiti on the Berlin wall, with two lesbians, one from the East one from the West, meeting at the wall. The Western one plays music through a boombox and they dance together or exchange love letters through barbed wire. And most of the film is about dancing.People would laugh at how bad it would be. Heigl wouldn't do such a thing, but this director has.This film is in my bottom 20 list, along with Foodfight! and Birdemic.
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.
sillent-star
when I saw the advertisement,I told myself that I should see the movie but now I think I just wasted my time.Let's talk about the movie's name , circumstance. It's a good name and it completely talks about the movie.first scene,Atefeh is dancing and Shireen is watching her.then at the school and a teacher who blame Shireen for nothing maybe she wanted to tell that they are rebels in school-I don't know why director put this scene in the movie- then they went to the street and a guy picked them up. the movie continued without any clear goal,then Mehran came and with his unusual obsession who is the symbol of Iran's government and religion.At first he is lovable then a scene in mosque and you can see he became a maniac.Movie finds its goal but director -who I think she never lived in Iran -still shows some scenes that are exaggerated and some how ridicules.At the end movie is finished.
