[A] melancholy drama about the aftermath of a senseless murder.
Comment
03/30/06
Beautiful City (2006)
89 %
Reviews Counted: 9 Fresh: 8 Rotten:1 Average Rating: 7/10
Synopsis: Set in Iran, BEAUTIFUL CITY revolves around the young and imprisoned Akbar, who awaits the death penalty. Having killed his girlfriend, Akbar holds onto the slim chance of a reprieve, as Iranian law dictates that a victim's family can request clemency--but at a price. Asghar Farhadi's film... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Reviews
1 - 9 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Well acted and smartly written, the film is an eye-opening sociological portrait that also manages to be a compelling human drama.
03/30/06
Top Critic
While touching on subjects as serious and diverse as capital punishment, the devaluation of women in Iran and the true Islamic concept of forgiveness, this powerful melodrama from the Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi is anything but a message movie.
03/17/06
Here's another deeply resonant little movie from Iran, featuring more polished (yet still naturalistic) acting than usually seen in U.S. productions.
03/17/06
It's a penetrating exploration of retribution versus forgiveness, blood money, sacrifice and the intricacies of Iran's Islamic judicial system.
03/16/06
Top Critic
Fascinating glimpse into wholly different body of laws, engrossingly evolving script and standout perfs, including Taraneh Alidoosti's ... make City more accessible to arthouse auds than more stylistically challenging Farsi fare.
03/16/06
Top Critic
Cross-pollinate an archetypal plotline with problematic romance and what you get is Beautiful City, a film in which the world is made immediate and kinetic.
03/16/06
The script, overly laden with red herrings, forces its characters into some improbable dilemmas...and the ambiguous ending feels inconsistent with the too tidy setup.
03/14/06
Persistence is everything in Asghar Farhadi's visually undistinguished but affecting Beautiful City, a simple film about the power of forgiveness.
03/04/06
1 - 9 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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