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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 critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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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

An accomplished portrait of a life's final curtain.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/01/01
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

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

The first film in 22 years by banned Iranian filmmaker Bahman Farmanara, Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine is something new for American movie gourmands.

Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
04/12/01
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Mr. Showbiz

Wonderfully bitter as it is wonderfully witty.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
06/18/01
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

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

Numerous original touches characterize this recent Iranian export.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
06/25/01
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

A meditative, shrewdly humorous farce.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
06/01/01
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

A compelling Iranian drama about the mini-deaths that can be rehearsals for the great performance at the end of life.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
04/05/01
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Despite his moody presence, Farmanara clearly thrills in being a storyteller.

comment Comment
05/31/01
Francesca Chapman
Francesca Chapman
Philadelphia Daily News

The film’s satirical frankness may be a sign that Iranian cinema, too, is finally emerging from a prolonged depressive phase into something like affirmation.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
05/09/01
David Chute
David Chute
L.A. Weekly

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

With its weak plotting and production values, Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine will test the patience of the most forgiving filmgoer.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
04/30/01
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

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

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

Depression is a fair subject for a movie, but this much moroseness shouldn't come to this little.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
04/20/01
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

Bahman Farmanara triumphantly reclaims his own soul with Smell of Camphor -- and it's been well worth the wait.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
06/01/01
Pam Grady
Pam Grady
Reel.com

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

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)

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
 
 
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