Where to start · Poetry in plain sight
Where to start with Iranian cinema
Iranian cinema turns everyday lives into profound drama, often with non-actors, children and long car rides. Simple on the surface, bottomless underneath.
1Start here
A Separation2011 · Asghar Farhadi · 123 minA marriage ends and a small lie keeps growing. As gripping as a thriller.2Then
Children of Heaven1997 · Majid Majidi · 88 minA brother and sister share one pair of shoes. Gentle and deeply moving.
Taste of Cherry1997 · Abbas Kiarostami · 99 minA man drives around Tehran looking for someone to help him. Kiarostami's Palme d'Or winner.
The Salesman2016 · Asghar Farhadi · 125 minAn actor couple, an attack in their new flat, and a hunger for revenge.3Go deeper
Close-Up1990 · Abbas Kiarostami · 98 minA real man who pretended to be a famous director, restaged by the people he fooled.
Where Is The Friend's House?1987 · Abbas Kiarostami · 83 minA boy tries to return his friend's notebook. Perfect in its simplicity.
The White Balloon1995 · Jafar Panahi · 85 minA girl, a goldfish and a lost banknote, in almost real time.
Taxi2015 · Jafar Panahi · 81 minBanned from filmmaking, Jafar Panahi drives a taxi with a camera on the dashboard.