Popular reviews

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  Review by davidehrlich ★★★★

  Here’s some free advice for any movie characters out there: If you ever happen to stumble upon a random bag full of money — and it’s not much of a stretch to assume that you might someday — the very first thing you should do is look up and check if the opening credits are still floating in the air nearby. If you see the words “directed by Peter Farrelly,” you might be in for a pretty good time and an even better tuxedo. If you see the words “directed by Joel and Ethan Coen,” I regret to inform you that you’re already dead. But in the event that you should come across a sudden windfall only to turn your…

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  Review by Scott Tobias ★★★★★ 11

  Farhadi's best since A Separation, and on the same level. There may be better filmmakers right now, but there's no better dramatist than him.

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  Review by Ethan Colburn ★★★★★ 9

  Absolutely wrecked me.

  This is the closest thing I’ve seen to The Bicycle Thieves, and I imagine my experience was similar to the experience of watching that for the first time in the 40s. While it presents a different situation, it also presents a scenario that makes you question your own morals, and digs into the meaning and consequences of a man’s actions, both his good and cruel intentions.

  This is my first Farhadi movie, (I’ve been told I should see A Separation for ages) and it was an incredible experience watching this film. A fault of many auteurs is they attempt to conquer too many themes in their film, causing it to get over bloated. Farhadi is laser focused…

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  Review by ˗ˏˋ Liam ˊˎ˗ ★★★★½ 7

  was not expecting uncut gems level of stress from this goodness meee i am devastated

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  Review by Tumbletoppel (BILLIE EILISH ACADEMY AWARD WINNER!!!!!/mourning The Owl House) ★★★★★ 2

  I wasn’t expecting to cry today but…here we are. Wouldn’t mind Farhadi threepeating in International for this

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  Review by Nick ★★★½ 1

  A Hero is not on the same level as A Separation, or even The Past, but it's still a rather important entry in Asghar Farhadi's glorious filmography. Arguably Farhadi's most outwardly political output to date, A Hero repeats Farhadi's winning formula of everyday moral dilemmas, this time in the social media era.

  Story-wise A Hero probably resembles About Elly the most, as they both detail a tangled, broad-stroked story that somehow lacks the high definitions and sensual satisfaction of Farhadi's superior works. A social, political, and personal fable that replies on the vessel of an inmate who accidentally is crowned "a hero", A Hero is ambitious in its efforts to put its spin on multiple themes, from the perception of…

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  Review by Kalpit Tandon ★★★★ 4

  We, as a species are not programmed to do a good deed without expecting the fruits in return. Every infinitesimal action of our lives is either propelled by some monetary or financial reward and if nothing else, in lieu of love and respect. Asghar Farhadi understands this fatal err of our design and knits around a fable that may seem simple from the exterior but is laced with complex moral fabrics.

  A Hero is a brutal examination of goodness in face of insurmountable odds. Farhadi's dead fire execution is excruciatingly real and savagely raw, so much so, that the central character scarily feels like a projection from anybody we might know from our lives. This is drama, a top tier drama!

  
  Included in these 15 Films I'd Recommend from 2021 (as of yet)

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  Review by Hungkat ★★★★ 1

  It's always heartbreaking to watch someone who makes a minor blunder that undoes everything they’ve done right up to that point. A seemingly basic premise quickly devolves into something far more complex. A Hero expertly examines society's construction of a model, carved out by social expectations and the media, whose ethics and morality are publicly scrutinized at every step he takes. Farhadi asks a lot of questions yet offers very few to no answers. It's a film of truths, half-truths, and little lies that resides in the ocean of grey, and it's within this zone that lies its emotional core. It's hard to judge who's right and who isn't. There is no winner. But losers, there might be a few.

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  Review by BananaPudding ★★★★ 8

  Dishonesty is a malady that burns like a forest fire and manufactured empathy is the fuel that further scorch the searing flame. At the risk of sounding awfully similar to an Ehrlich one-liner - Asghar Farhadi's UNCUT GEMS.

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  Review by Prateek Sharma ★★★★½ 2

  Best of 2021

  Asghar Farhadi you Fuckin genius. He did it again with simplistic and realistic approach, when it comes to dramatization as in genre in modern times he's definitely up there. And I dare to say he's the modern day Kiarostami for me. The way he empathize with imperfections amongst common people is incredible, it's a slow burn and if you are looking for reward at the end then this film isn't for you. This film is as real as it gets, Farhadi didn't give all the answers related to chain of unfortunate events happen around the main character and it's amazing how tight and beautiful the screenplay is in this film and in other's hand it could have…

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  Review by Michael James ★★★★ 2

  The master storyteller in Asghar Farhadi returns with yet another powerful and immersive human drama, that’s deceptively simple yet complexly layered. He takes up relatable everyday characters, throws them in significant situations and explores the complicated moral psyche of human minds, through his well written conversational dialogues and terrific character developments. It captures and reflects the contemporary Iranian society mindset effectively, and further keeps the slow burn drama engaging with solid plot twists. A compelling watch.

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  Review by Amin Pakparvar ★★★★

  یک. فیلمِ قاب در قاب‌ها. قهرمان را در بخش بزرگی از فیلم میان چارچوب درها‌ و پشت حصارها و شیشه‌ها و لایه‌هایی از رفت و آمدِ ماشین‌ها و آدم‌ها می‌یابیم. او در بافت بصریِ فیلم همیشه در تنگناست و نیز پیوسته به عنوان جزوی از کلیتی بزرگتر به تصویر کشیده می‌شود. او را نه فردی یگانه و متفاوت از دیگران، که یکی میان و شبیهِ همه‌ می‌یابیم. مصداق بصریِ این مسئله نماهای متعددی از مبلمان و ساختار شهریِ شیراز است که قهرمان و البته پسرش را همچون ذره‌ای سرگشته میان آدم‌ها و آهن‌ها به تصویر می‌کشد. و مصداق دراماتیک‌اش آنکه همه همچنانکه نیت خیر دارند، در ظاهرسازیِ هم شریک‌اند. نگاه دوربین در نماهای ابتدایی همچون راوی‌ای دانای کل او را…