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Movies / On DVD / Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine
Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine

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Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine (2001)

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Reviews Counted:44

Fresh:31

Rotten:13

Average Rating:6.3/10

Consensus: Hitting upon universal themes, this meditation on death is both poignant and wryly humorous.

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Banned from making films for over twenty years by Iran's Post-Revolutionary Censor Board, Bahman Farmanara returns with SMELL OF CAMPHOR, FRAGRANCE OF JASMINE, a deeply inspiring meditation on... Banned from making films for over twenty years by Iran's Post-Revolutionary Censor Board, Bahman Farmanara returns with SMELL OF CAMPHOR, FRAGRANCE OF JASMINE, a deeply inspiring meditation on existence and death. Farmanara plays Bahman Farjami, a director in his mid-50s who continues to mourn his recently deceased wife. While driving to visit her grave one morning, he picks up a distraught young woman, who turns out to be carrying a stillborn child with her. When he gets to the graveyard, the day quickly turns worse. It appears that a mix-up has occurred and the plot Bahman has reserved for himself, adjacent to his wife's grave, has been mistakenly occupied. Distraught and confused, Bahman visits his doctor only to discover that if he doesn't quit smoking cigarettes, he won't be living much longer. To try to make sense of his demise and the effect it will have on those closest to him, Bahman decides to stage and film his own funeral. But when the morning comes to shoot the morbid recreation, it appears that his own time has come, sparking a realization that teaches Bahman a powerful lesson once and for all. Deftly incorporating his own experiences, Farmanara's personal essay reverberates with a sincerity that most films never achieve. [More]

Starring: Bahman Farmanara, Roya Nonahali, Reza Kianian, Vali Shirandami

Starring: Bahman Farmanara, Roya Nonahali, Reza Kianian, Vali Shirandami, Hossien Kasbian, Firooz Behjat Mahamadi, Mahtaj Noojoomi, Parivash Nazarieh

Director: Bahman Farmanara

Director: Bahman Farmanara
Screenwriter: Bahman Farmanara
Studio: New Yorker Films

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
05/29/08
Ken Eisner
Ken Eisner
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
08/11/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

By turns accomplished and clunky -- part of which is probably the result of its obviously tiny budget -- but it's never less than fascinating.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
04/20/05
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Farmanara's artistic vision is hit-or-miss and his material hangs together rather slackly

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
09/16/04
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
Filmcritic.com

An engrossing look at a whiny artist in modern Iran trying to deal with censorship.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/08/04
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A bitter but funny examination of the problems of life in a society in which a man cannot do his job.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
08/09/02
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News

On its own modest terms it's an interesting effort, but not a particularly compelling one.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
04/30/02
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Somber and haunting with an undertow of mordant wit, Mr. Farmanara's comeback finds its morning in life and nature.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
04/25/02
Jane Sumner
Jane Sumner
Dallas Morning News

Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine is not for all tastes, and patient viewers stand the best chance of receiving its rewards, which are, after all, worthwhile.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
04/06/02
Kurt Dahlke
Kurt Dahlke
Apollo Guide

The slow-moving film fails to capture the depth and intensity of what it means to battle political censure and depression.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
11/08/01
Marta Barber
Marta Barber
Miami Herald

The director's obsession with death sometimes seems overwrought and self-flagellating.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
09/06/01
Robert K. Elder
Robert K. Elder
Chicago Tribune

By turns funny, moving and surreal, the film is difficult to classify -- with its personal content and screwball comedy, it just might be Iran's answer to Woody Allen.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
08/27/01
Adam Nayman
Adam Nayman
eye WEEKLY

Works on a grand scale and in an most intimate way.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
08/24/01
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

Our comeback tale should end on a classic note of resounding triumph. Should -- but doesn't.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
08/24/01
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

Communicates, with great clarity and precision, the specific dilemma of Farmanara's own 'futile' existence: the quiet horror of the artist who is denied the aching personal need and basic human right of self-expression.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
07/20/01
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

It's possible to see the crudely assembled Smell as a plodding movie about a dour guy, but I prefer a more subversive take.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
07/12/01
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Numerous original touches characterize this recent Iranian export.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
06/25/01
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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