Have you ever watched Iranian-made films? Wow, Jaka really recommends watching it, gang! This is the list of the best Iranian films by JalanTikus!
When you hear the word Iran, what comes to your mind? Perhaps what appears is Tehran, the desert, the Arabs, Ahamdinejad, and even the Shia.
In fact, Iran has a myriad of quality films that are full of motivational stories, you know! The quality of the story that is delivered is not inferior to Hollywood films.
Therefore, this time I want to give you a list of recommendations best iranian movies which you can watch with your family when Eid later!
15 Best Iranian Movies You Must Watch
Maybe you are curious, what causes Iran to produce quality films. In fact, you don't necessarily know where it is on the map.
Apparently, Iran has long been famous for its films, especially after the events of the Iranian revolution that occurred in 1978.
After the revolution, film industry activists became more and more productive in making films that were accepted by the public, even to the point of go international.
In addition, Iranian films are also famous for being full of motivational meanings, so that we can get added value after watching them.
So, what are the best Iranian films that you can watch?
1. A Separation
Photo source: Cinemablography The first Iranian film that ApkVenue will recommend to you is A Separation. This drama film tells the story of a husband and wife who are faced with a dilemma.
What dilemma? They are faced with a choice between moving abroad for the sake of their child's education or staying at home to take care of their husband's father.
As one of the most successful films, this film raises issues of religion, gender, and social class. In fact, this film won an Oscar as the best foreign language film.
| Title | A Separation |
|---|---|
| Show | March 16, 2011 |
| Duration | 2 hours 3 minutes |
| Director | Asghar Farhadi |
| Cast | Payman Maadi
|
| Genre | Drama
|
| Rating | 8.3/10 (IMDb) |
2. Children of Heaven
Photo source: Way Too Indie Film Children of Heaven is the first Iranian film to be nominated for an Oscar for the best foreign language film category.
This film tells the story of a little boy named Ali who loses the shoes of his sister, Zahra.
Because he was poor, Ali tried to find the shoes to hard-to-reach places. For a while, they decided to share shoes.
This family-themed film is very touching, gang!
| Title | Children of Heaven |
|---|---|
| Show | 1997 |
| Duration | 1 hour 29 minutes |
| Director | Majid Majidi |
| Cast | Mohammad Amir Naji
|
| Genre | Drama
|
| Rating | 8.3/10 (IMDb) |
3. The Salesman
Photo source: The Atlantic The Salesman is another Iranian film that won an Oscar. This film is also directed by Asghar Farhadi.
This film tells the story of a husband and wife who join in a theater performance entitled Death of Salesman.
One time, his wife got an attack that traumatized him. Her husband tries to discover the identity of the assailant while helping his wife overcome her trauma.
| Title | The Salesman |
|---|---|
| Show | March 17, 2017 |
| Duration | 2 hours 4 minutes |
| Director | Asghar Farhadi |
| Cast | Shahab Hosseini
|
| Genre | Drama
|
| Rating | 7.8/10 (IMDb) |
Other Iranian Movies. . .
4. The Past
Photo source: Roger Ebert Film The Past is a collaboration of three countries, namely France, Italy, and Iran. This film was directed by, none other than, Asghar Farhadi.
Tells the story of Ahmad, a man from Iran who returns to France to settle a divorce case with his wife, Marie.
When they weren't officially divorced, it turned out that Marie was already in a relationship with another man. His son, Lucie, did not support this relationship and made him suicidal.
This film has a very deep meaning, you must watch it, gang!
| Title | The Past |
|---|---|
| Show | March 28, 2014 |
| Duration | 2 hours 10 minutes |
| Director | Asghar Farhadi |
| Cast | B r nice Bejo
|
| Genre | Drama
|
| Rating | 7.8/10 (IMDb) |
5. About Elly
Photo source: Roger Ebert About Elly is another Iranian film directed by Asghar Farhadi and get a positive response from the public.
At first glance, this film looks like a psychological drama about a group of college friends who are on vacation in the Caspian Sea.
If we dig deeper, we will see the complexities that the Iranian middle class has.
This film re-questions about group interactions, moral choices, and the culture of dishonesty created by a closed society that is subject to intense scrutiny.
| Title | About Elly |
|---|---|
| Show | September 14, 2012 |
| Duration | 1 hour 59 minutes |
| Director | Asghar Farhadi |
| Cast | Golshifteh Farahani
|
| Genre | Drama
|
| Rating | 8.0/10 (IMDb) |
6. Taste of Cherry
Photo source: CriterionCast.com Have you ever felt so depressed that you wanted to take your own life? Watch the movie Taste of Cherry this one.
Tells the story of a middle-aged man named Badii who is about to commit suicide, even digging his own grave. The problem was, he couldn't find anyone willing to bury him.
He has asked the army, members of the Afghan seminarians, but none of them are willing for various reasons.
Until finally he met an old man from Turkey who had a sick child. Even before, he himself had attempted to commit suicide. Even so, he agreed to help Badii.
Will Badii really end his life like that?
| Title | Taste of Cherry |
|---|---|
| Show | June 5, 1998 |
| Duration | 1 hour 35 minutes |
| Director | Abbas Kiarostami |
| Cast | Homayoun Ershadi
|
| Genre | Drama |
| Rating | 7.7 (18.993) |
7. Turtles Can Fly
Photo source: SBS Turtles Can Fly background in a Kurdish refugee camp, on the border between Iraq and Turkey. There is a boy named Satellite who is the leader among the other children.
Satellite tells the boys to collect mines left by the United States to sell. This is natural, considering this film is a war film.
He met an orphan named Agrin and fell in love with him. Then, it was revealed the dark side that had been experienced by Agrin.
How will their story continue? Just watch the movie, okay?
| Title | Turtles Can Fly |
|---|---|
| Show | February 23, 2005 |
| Duration | 1 hour 38 minutes |
| Director | Bahman Ghobadi |
| Cast | Soran Ebrahim
|
| Genre | Drama
|
| Rating | 8.1/10 (_IMDb) |
8. The Color of Paradise
Photo credit: Education - Jacob Burns Film Center Next there is a movie The Color of Paradise which tells the story of a boy named Mohammad who is waiting to be picked up by his father for a vacation.
Initially, his father tried to leave Mohammad at the school during the holidays because he was embarrassed, but the request was rejected by the principal.
One of the reasons why he did this was that he, who was a widower, was trying to marry a local girl and hide the fact that he had a blind child!
| Title | The Color of Paradise |
|---|---|
| Show | September 7, 2000 |
| Duration | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Director | Majid Majidi |
| Cast | Hossein Mahjoub
|
| Genre | Drama
|
| Rating | 8.3/10 (IMDb) |
9. Close-Up
Photo source: Pinterest Close-Up here is not a toothpaste brand, yes, gang! Close-Up here is another Iranian film that you should watch with your family.
This film is a biographical film about a man disguised as a filmmaker named Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
He tricked a family into saying they were going to star in his new film. They will act as themselves.
What did he do it for? Find the answer directly in the film, come on!
| Title | Close-Up |
|---|---|
| Show | October 30, 1991 |
| Duration | 1 hour 38 minutes |
| Director | Abbas Kiarostami |
| Cast | Hossain Sabzian
|
| Genre | Biography
|
| Rating | 8.2/10 (IMDb) |
10. The Lizard
Photo source: IMVBox.com No, not Spider-Man's real name is Curt Connors. The Lizard here is one of the best Iranian films directed by Kamal Tabrizi.
Tells the story of a thief named Raze who managed to escape from prison thanks to his disguise as mullah or the title of scholar in Iran.
Due to a condition, he maintains the disguise until he accidentally becomes the leader of a mosque in a small town. Unexpectedly, he even became popular!
| Title | The Lizard |
|---|---|
| Show | April 21, 2004 |
| Duration | 1 hour 55 minutes |
| Director | Kamal Tabrizi |
| Cast | Parviz Parastui
|
| Genre | Comedy
|
| Rating | 8.5/10 (IMDb) |
11.The White Balloon
Photo source: Metrograph A young girl wants to buy a goldfish on Eid al-Fitr. The reason, his own goldfish is considered too small and unattractive.
The price of the goldfish was 100 and his mother gave him 500. Unfortunately, due to various incidents, the money disappeared. He with the help of people trying to find the money.
That's more or less the premise of the movie The White Balloon which was released in 1995. At first glance it sounds simple, but the power of the film is more than you might imagine.
| Title | The White Balloon |
|---|---|
| Show | November 27, 1995 |
| Duration | 1 hour 25 minutes |
| Director | Jafar Panahi |
| Cast | Aida Mohammadkhani, Mohsen Kafili, Fereshteh Sadre Orafaiy |
| Genre | Drama, Family |
| Rating | 7.7/10 (IMDb) |
12. A Moment of Innocence
Photo source: Facebook Next there is a movie A Moment of Innocence which is semi-autobiographical. This film tells the experience of the director, Mousen Makmahlbaf, when he was 17 years old
That time, he stabbed a policeman at a demonstration and ended up having to get a prison sentence. Two decades later, he decides to track down the cop he stabbed to make amends.
This film is a process of dramatization of the true story. So don't be surprised if you will feel that this film feels personal. Fact and fiction seem to just blend.
| Title | A Moment of Inncence |
|---|---|
| Show | 9 April 1997 |
| Duration | 1 hour 18 minutes |
| Director | Mohsen Makmahlbaf |
| Cast | Mirhadi Tayebi
|
| Genre | Comedy
|
| Rating | 7.9/10 (IMDb) |
13. The Day I Became a Woman
Photo source: Walker Art Center The Day I Became a Woman is a film about three generations of women suffering from oppression. They only crave freedom as a human being.
After three different stories, the characters Havva, Ahoo, and Hoora meet on the same beach on the same day. All have the same goal, wanting to find freedom.
This film is a heartwarming story in which the three women represent the lives of daughters, wives, and mothers. Their brief meeting at one time was truly colorful.
| Title | The Day I Became a Woman |
|---|---|
| Show | March 8, 2001 |
| Duration | 1 hour 18 minutes |
| Director | Marzieh Makhmalbaf |
| Cast | Fatemeh Cherag Akhar
|
| Genre | Comedy
|
| Rating | 7.3/10 (IMDb) |
14. Ten
Photo source: Creative Critism In the movie Ten, the director managed to use two of his favorite objects to create a unique film. These objects are cameras and cars.
There is a female driver who meets 5 different people in 10 different episodes. He met his son, his sister, religious women, prostitutes, and so on.
This film tries to present arguments from various sides. The strong patriarchal side of Iranian society is also trying to be described here.
| Title | Ten |
|---|---|
| Show | September 18, 2002 |
| Duration | 1 hour 29 minutes |
| Director | Abbas Kiarostami |
| Cast | Mania Akbari
|
| Genre | Drama |
| Rating | 7.5/10 (IMDb) |
15. Offside
Photo source: MoMA The last movie on this list is Off side. This football film was directed by Jafar Panahi and is considered to have a subtle political message.
The story is about a group of young women who must disguise themselves as a man in order to watch an Iranian football match.
The message that this film wants to convey is that there is discrimination and patriarchy that still often occurs in Iranian society.
| Title | Off side |
|---|---|
| Show | May 26, 2006 |
| Duration | 1 hour 35 minutes |
| Director | Jafar Panahi |
| Cast | Sima Mobarak-Shahi
|
| Genre | Comedy
|
| Rating | 7.3/10 (IMDb) |
That's 15 best Iranian movies which ApkVenue can recommend for you. I never thought that a country in the Middle East could produce so many quality films.
Which one will you watch first? Write in the comments column, yes!
Also read articles about Film or other interesting articles from Fanandi Ratriansyah
