10 Iranian films worth watching

1. Rain

baran

• Iran, 2001.
• Drama, melodrama.
• Duration: 94 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.8.

Young Latif is a construction worker in Tehran. Together with other illegal immigrants from Turkey and Afghanistan, the hero works hard. Latif treats colleague Rahmat harshly for not doing his job well. But one day the young man learns the secret of Rakhmat - in fact, he is a girl named Baran.

Critics consider "Rain" one of the best Iranian films - everything is good in it: from camera work to acting. A touching picture shows how labor migrants live.

2. Divorce Nader and Simin

Jodaeiye Nader az Simin

• Iran, France, Australia, 2011.
• Drama.
• Duration: 123 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.3.

Nader and Simin are a married couple about to leave Iran. However, despite their common plans, the man decides to stay in the country to care for his sick father. Woman submits to divorce and is trying to obtain custody of her daughter in order to take her with him. Heroes are forced to fight for the child.

"The Divorce of Nader and Simin" won the award "Oscarin 2012 in the Best Foreign Language Film category. This is the first Iranian painting to receive this award. It turned out to be an excellent drama that tells not only about family relationships, but also about the social structure of Iran.

3. The song of the nightingales

Avaze gonjeshk-ha

• Iran, 2008.
• Drama, family.
• Duration: 96 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.9.

Karim works on an ostrich farm and supports his family. Everything falls apart when one bird decides to run away, and Karim gets fired for it. He travels to Tehran to fix his daughter's hearing aid and decides to become a taxi driver. The man is completely is changing at a new job, which categorically does not like his relatives.

Muhammad Amir Naji, who plays the lead role, was awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. The film is directed by Majid Majidi. His other work, Children of Heaven, was nominated for an Oscar in 1999.

4. Leila brothers

Baradaran-e Leila

• Iran, 2022
• Drama.
• Duration: 165 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.8.

Forty-year-old Leyla was forced to take care of her parents and brothers all her life. Her loved ones are constantly quarreling and drowning in debt. While Layla's brothers struggle to make ends meet, she comes up with a plan to save the family on her own.

Layla's Brothers was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Critics loved the Iranian film very much for its excellent script. It turned out to be a touching, but at the same time a terrible story about poverty.

5. Evil does not exist

Sheytan vojud nadarad

• Germany, Czech Republic, Iran, 2020.
• Drama.
• Duration: 151 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.5.

Four heroes face a difficult choice. The first hides a secret from his family, the second must kill a man, the third cannot propose to his girlfriend, and the fourth cannot be in the company of people. Each of them is trying to solve the problem that has arisen.

Evil Doesn't Exist was awarded the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. The director of the film, Mohammad Rasoulof, had an official ban on filming, so his assistants asked for permission for four short films in different regions of Iran, keeping the name of Mohammad secret.

6. three faces

Se rokh

• Iran, USA, 2018.
• Drama.
• Duration: 100 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.0.

A director and an actress travel to a tiny village to find a missing girl. The day before, she sent them a video where she talks about the fact that her parents forbade her to enter the conservatory and now she wants to end her life suicide. The search drags on, and the heroes are looking for her in neighboring villages, where they are not always welcomed by local residents.

Three Faces won the Best Screenplay award at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. The director of the film, Jafar Panahi, received the award in absentia - he was not allowed to leave the country. He is also known for his work on another drama, Taxi.

7. Incorruptible

Lerd

• Iran, 2017.
• Drama.
• Duration: 120 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.2.

Reza moved from Tehran to the countryside in search of a quiet family life. Now his main business is to breed goldfish. A private company is looking at the hero's land, which wants to appropriate the plot. Reza is not going to sell it, so a war breaks out between them.

"Incorruptible" won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival in the "Un Certain Regard" category. This is a cruel story about the confrontation between a small man and a corporation. The director of the picture is Mohammad Rasulof, who shot the film "Evil Does Not Exist".

8. Ava

Ava

• Iran, Canada, Qatar, 2017.
• Drama.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.7.

Ava lives by the rules all her life. As she comes of age, the pressure on her intensifies. Parents, friends and school expect perfection and the right decisions from the girl. One day she finds out that her relatives themselves violated the prohibitions, and begins a rebellion against the whole society.

The film is directed by Sadaf Forugi. "Ava" is her first work. In 2022, the second one was released - the sports drama "Summer with Hope". Both films show the difficulties faced by teenagers in Iranian society while growing up.

9. Taxi

Taxi

• Iran, 2015.
• Drama, comedy.
• Duration: 82 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.3.

Filmmaker Jafar Panahi gets behind the wheel of a taxi in busy Tehran. Various passengers get into his car - from a seller of pirated discs to a human rights activist. Each of them has their own opinion, so they willingly enter into dialogue with a driver.

The Iranian film "Taxi" was awarded the "Golden Bear" at the Berlin Film Festival. The tape is the third in a row for director Jafar Panahi since he received a 20-year ban on filming. The equipment did not leave the car in order not to attract the attention of the authorities. Also, the names of the actors are not indicated in the credits, except for the human rights activist: this is done for security reasons.

10. Simple trick

paziraie sadeh

• Iran, 2012.
• Drama, comedy.
• Duration: 100 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.7.

A man and a woman go to disadvantaged areas in an SUV. In the trunk of the car are bags of money, which they distribute to needy people they meet along the way.

The film is directed by Mani Hagigi. Later, he directed the black comedy Pig, which brought him more success. However, critics rated it not as highly as "A Simple Reception".