A yellow taxi drives through the vibrant, colorful streets of Tehran. A variety of passengers enter the cab, each speaking candidly about their opinions while being interviewed by the driver, who is none other than director Jafar Panahi himself. His camera, placed on the dashboard of a mobile film studio, captures the spirit of Iranian society through this drive of comedy and drama…
Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film actors:
- Person: Jafar Panahi
- Person: Hana Saidi
- Woman holding a rose: Nasrin Sotoudeh
Crew:
- Editor: Jafar Panahi
- Others: Masoume Lahiji
Movie review:
- Reno: > 80-minute taxi ride around Tehran.
- This is a unique film and one of the most beautifully crafted films I’ve ever seen. This is a documentary starring and directed by Jafar Panahi. This was my first film of his and I was very impressed. I also learned that he had been banned from making movies and leaving the country for the past five years. But he took every legal avenue possible to continue making them, and this movie is the result of it. He had taken several photos before, but this time he went outdoors to capture the streets of the Iranian capital.
- The film is set entirely in a taxi, with the camera never leaving the car but roaming around the city of Tehran. An instant movie lasting nearly 80 minutes. There are no opening or closing credits other than the title text and a few statements. The story is interesting, I don’t know if it’s a script or fact, but it’s well planned and can be shot in a low-key manner.
- Except for the director, all actors are non-professional actors. This definitely deserves a round of applause as the results speak volumes about the quality of their exhibition. It gives us a glimpse into the life of a taxi driver, seeing the city through his eyes and meeting the people. Some scenes are hilarious, some are darkly humorous, and some are thoughtful. Every time a new character enters the picture, it brings a new topic and discussion to the table, which means the film has sheer variety that will keep you hooked until the end.
- > “We have set a world record for hangings after China.”
- I thought the ending was very clever because of such a conclusion and no post-credits, I think that’s how the archives were smuggled out of the country and prepared. But no one knew exactly how it was done, otherwise Jafar Panahi would have been in trouble. This is a rare gem and one of the best movies of 2015, if you are a movie fan you must give it a try.
- Initially, I mean before deciding to watch it, I wasn’t sure it would live up to my expectations. When I sat down, the experience was different and now I’m super excited to try it. People’s opinions about this movie may vary, but we have to applaud their efforts. Especially when the filmmakers were against him for everything, I mean legally, but he believed in his passion and became strong. It was encouraging and the risk he took really paid off.
- It won some international film festival awards and that’s how I really got to know it. I’m sure this movie won’t disappoint you either, if you’re not looking for a movie with twists and turns like an intelligent movie or a big budget movie. Like I said, I couldn’t ask for a better movie than this, it’s a very simple but entertaining movie.
- 8/10
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