X
  • 2016
  • Corinth Films
  • 1 h 59 m
  • 2016
  • Corinth Films
  • 1 h 59 m

Summary The President and his family rule the land with a draconian fist, enjoying a privileged and luxurious existence at the expense of his miserable and oppressed subjects. After a coup d’état uproots his position of power, the President’s wife and daughters are flown out of the country as he stays behind with his grandson, who is too young t...

Directed By: Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Written By: Marzieh Makhmalbaf, Mohsen Makhmalbaf

  • 2016
  • Corinth Films
  • 1 h 59 m
  • 2016
  • Corinth Films
  • 1 h 59 m

The President

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 11 Critic Reviews
67
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary The President and his family rule the land with a draconian fist, enjoying a privileged and luxurious existence at the expense of his miserable and oppressed subjects. After a coup d’état uproots his position of power, the President’s wife and daughters are flown out of the country as he stays behind with his grandson, who is too young t...

Directed By: Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Written By: Marzieh Makhmalbaf, Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Where to Watch

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 11 Critic Reviews
67
64% Positive
7 Reviews
36% Mixed
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 11 Critic Reviews
67
64% Positive
7 Reviews
36% Mixed
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
83
Jun 9, 2016
Even though The President lacks some of the subtlety that made Makhmalbaf’s previous work transcendent, this film is still a worthy testament to a fiery storyteller determined to use the medium as a necessary means of subversion.
By Steve Greene FULL REVIEW
83
Jun 2, 2016
At times it may be difficult to watch, and the plot does feel episodic, but it remains powerful, challenging filmmaking.
FULL REVIEW
80
Jul 21, 2016
Although Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf says The President was inspired by the turbulent events of the Arab Spring, there’s also a timeless quality to this absorbing and powerful fable that provides added resonance.
By Gary Goldstein FULL REVIEW
80
Jun 2, 2016
The President has an urgent relevance to all too many countries around the world, including those touched by the Arab Spring; a darkly comic and poignant portrait of an Ozymandian fall from grace and the subsequent damage that ensues.
By John Bleasdale FULL REVIEW
60
Jul 21, 2016
Makhmalbaf makes you feel the enormity of the president's loss of self even if you don't actually feel for him.
By Michael Nordine FULL REVIEW
60
Jun 2, 2016
Makhmalbaf says he was inspired by the Arab Spring, and his film is pitched somewhere between allegory and satire.
By Cath Clarke FULL REVIEW
50
Jun 2, 2016
An allegorical lesson about dictatorships and the cycle of violence they breed, Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s The President unfortunately offers a simplified and simplistic reduction, akin to an ancient morality tale without the ancients’ brevity – rather than sophistication cloaked in innocence, the pic feels like didacticism submerged in naivete.
By Jay Weissberg FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company 20 Steps Productions, Bac Film Production, Brummer & Herzog Filmproduktion, Creativity Capital, Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME), Makhmalbaf Film House, Makhmalbaf Productions, President Fame
Release Date Jun 3, 2016
Duration 1 h 59 m
Genres
Website http://www.bacfilms.com/international/film/59
View All Details

Awards

Tokyo FILMeX
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Chicago International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Venice Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

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