International: Middle East Reviews
Berlinale 2024 Review: WHO DO I BELONG TO, Lyrical Drama Explores Radical Family Ties
In her debut film Who Do I Belong To, Tunisian-born, Canada-based filmmaker Meryam Joober explores the poignant narrative of Aicha, a mother faced with the daunting reality of her sons' association with ISIS. The film is set in the tranquil...
INSHALLAH A BOY Review: A Situation To Crack Under
Last year, the Cannes Film Festival crowds screened its first ever Jordanian film, and simultaneously, the debut of director Amjad Al Rasheed. Inshallah A Boy is about the hypocrisy of vultures in times of grief, the societal constraints of a...
Toronto 2023 Review: NAGA, Drug-Infused Race Against the Clock
Sara is in the middle of the desert, a fair drive from her city of Riyadh. She's been taking drugs. The police raided the event she was at, scattering everyone. She can't find her boyfriend. She doesn't have the keys...
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Locarno 2023 Review: Dissent and Dreams Intersect in CRITICAL ZONE's Midnight Tehran Odyssey
Iranian director Ali Ahmadzadeh clinched the main award with its psychedelic portrayal of Tehran's nocturnal wanderings.
ASHKAL: THE TUNISIAN INVESTIGATION Review: Riveting Supernatural Noir
If a person sets themselves alight and no one sees it, does the act lose its meaning? Is a half-built housing complex still a potential home, or a constant reminder of impermenance? Can justice be served only through the law,...
Cannes 2023 Review: ABOUT DRY GRASSES, Turkish Drama Is Too Profound By Half
Nuri Bilge Ceylan returns with his seventh consecutive Cannes Competition entry, another sprawling three-hour plus drama about the human condition.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 Review: It's Big. Really Big. For JOHN WICK Fans That's Great.
In his ongoing quest to defeat The High Table, John Wick discovers a way to earn his freedom once and for all. In order to do so he must defeat his most formidable foe yet, a ruthless, high ranking member...
Rotterdam 2023 Review: ENDLESS BORDERS Aims For Humanism
Directed by Abbas Amini, the drama from Iran blends social melodrama and refugee thriller in an audience-driven narrative depicting a flight for freedom.
Venice 2022 Review: WORLD WAR III, Slapstick Iranian Thriller Unveils Trickling Terror
Directed by Houman Seyyedi, the wartime adventure is Iran's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
Neuchâtel 2022 Review: ASHKAL, Fire Without End
If a person sets themselves alight and no one sees it, does the act lose its meaning? Is a half-built housing complex still a potential home, or a constant reminder of impermenance? Can justice be served only through the law,...
Review: HIT THE ROAD, Beautifully Shot, Cleverly Written, Masterfully Directed
Before watching Hit the Road, I vaguely remember reading that it was Panah Panahi's debut. Upon finishing the film, I felt compelled to double check that it was indeed his debut. I could have blamed my bad memory; but I...
DVD Review: GOLDEN VOICES, Wistful, Unsentimental Nostalgia
Vladimir Friedman and Maria Belkin star in a tale of migration, told by Evgeny Ruman and Ziv Berkovich, coming soon on DVD from Music Box Films.
Review: A HERO By Any Other Name
Directed by Asghar Farhadi, the prickly drama from Iran stars Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, and Fereshteh Sadre Orafaiy.
Lund Fantastic 2021 Review: IN THE SHADOWS, Resistance Grows
Erdem Tepegöz' science fiction mindfuck thriller In the Shadows has won awards in its home country of Turkey at several festivals, for best film, best director, best art direction and best music, and has received nominations aplenty in several other...
Venice 2021 Review: REFLECTION, Resonant, Formalist Look at Russo-Ukrainian War
Akin to the works of Swedish master Roy Andersson, sans humor, combined with the gravitas and emotional punch of Andrey Zvyagintsev, the film is sort of a companion piece to 'Atlantis,' featuring truly impactful and impressive filmmaking.
Review: DACHRA, Pulsing With Dread in Tunisia
Aziz Jebali, Hela Ayed and Yassmine Dimassi star in a folk-horror picture from Tunisia, directed by Abdelhamid Bouchnak.
Review: SCALES, A Fable of Sea Monsters in a Hostile Land
The most beautiful moonlight I've ever seen was in Sinai. I was at a small camp not far from Dahab, but far enough and so far from any large human settlement that there was no light pollution. It was a...
Review: THE ANTENNA Tunes In Surreal Horror Thrills
Gül Arici, Elif Cakman and Murat Saglam star in a horror thriller from Turkey, directed by Orcun Behram, now streaming on Shudder.
Review: THE PERFECT CANDIDATE, Woman Doctor Turned Politician
Mila Al Zahrani, Dae Al Hilali and Nora Al Awad star in a finely-turned modern-day drama from Saudi Arabia, directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour.
Review: 2021 OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS - LIVE ACTION, Fraught With Tension
All five titles nominated for Academy Award, Best Live Action Short, are included in the program, now playing in select theaters.
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