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Universal acclaim - based on 31 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 93 Ratings

  • Starring: Avaz Latif, Soran Ebrahim
  • Summary: This third feature from internationally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi is set in his native Kurdistan on the eve of the American invasion of Iraq. The devastation to this land and its inhabitants is revealed in the matter-of-fact perspective of the children and is equally displayed with every poignant detail of its unbearable nature. (IFC Films) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 31
  2. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Superb acting and authentic details energize this rare Iran/Iraq coproduction.
  2. 100
    This isn't a war movie. Rather, it's a powerful, heart-tugging portrait of the innocent victims of conflict.
  3. Reviewed by: Duane Byrge
    80
    Heart-wrenching as well as spirit-raising.
  4. Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    42
    Lacks grace, coherence, and a surface vivid enough to make it an alarm that many will hear.

See all 31 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 49
  3. Negative: 2 out of 49
  1. the story tooks place in the kurdish refugee camps in the iraq turkish border at the eve of the us invasion of iraq....how the cruelty of war decides the fate of the poor children of iraq kurdhish people. the performances by the children are top notch and heartbreaking.....as the story unfolds ,it is highly captivating and leaves you astonished . westerns have to learn a lot from this iran director bahman ghobadi. i will gave this movie a 10/10......a gem of world cinema Expand
  2. EstebanF
    8
    Hate it and love it at the same time. It is greatly done, but it is so shocking, so brutally disturbing that I would never, EVER see it again. It stays in your mind for days, even weeks, and you may even shake every time you remember its ending. Expand
  3. SaurabhJ
    7
    True that we can hardly imagine the effects of war on children. But I still find it very very hard to believe that a girl about 13-14 years old would kill a child and commit suicide afterward because of the pain of it all. I cannot deny that the war makes children age much faster. But it is like watching a 13 year old with a middle aged person's mind. Even after considering the horrors in Agrin's past, it is difficult to believe that she would react the way she does in the movie, especially her attitude towards the toddler. Besides, Hengov's clairvoyance introduces a supernatural element into the film. His role has no real significance and no rational explanation. For example, he sees the toddler's death in his dreams, but does not see his own sister committing suicide. Feels like some of the scenes are made with the only intention of making the audience cry. Like when Agrin leaves the toddler tied to a tree in the minefield. Despite of these shortcomings, it is an honest attempt to show the tragedy of war, especially from the point of view of children. Some of the acting performances are too good. Well worth watching. Expand
  4. JimF.
    2
    Poor quality sub-titles made this disjointed movie too much work to try to follow.

See all 49 User Reviews

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