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In the mid-to-late 1990s, Iran began to be recognized as a refreshing source of low-budget, wryly naturalistic filmmaking, and Jafar Panahi's The White Balloon (winner of the Camera d'Or award at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival) was the first Iranian film to get a U.S. art-house release. Simple and spare yet filled with observant detail, it's a mild, beguiling movie about a 7-year-old girl's tenacious quest to buy a cherished goldfish for her family's New Year's Day celebration. That's really all there is to it, but it's wonderfully warm, funny, and generous in spirit. With an almost miraculous ability to capture moments and reality unhindered by the presence of a camera and crew, Panahi handles this seemingly trivial story as a child's emotional odyssey, set amidst the daily rhythms of Teheran as a city where kindness and cruelty can be found in close proximity. Anyone interested in international films and filmmakers should give this one high priority on their list of must-see movies. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (17)

SUBTLE AND SIMPLE
The Iranian cinema industry is filled with charming films like this one. It is very subtle and understated... a tale of a little girl who wishes so much for a goldfish she sees when she and her mother are passing through the city together. She is convinced that the goldfish they see in the shop is fatter, more beautiful and superior to the goldfish they already have swimming in the pond in their courtyard at home. She begs her mother for the money to get the goldfish, but her mother denies it. The little girl then enlists her older brother's help to get the money. Eventually she succeeds in getting the money, but this is only the beginning of her adventure. At many times throughout the film, an odyssey through Tehran on Iran's New Year's Day (which I believe falls in March), the little girl and the money part company, and she has to struggle to find it and retrieve it. The story is charming and heartwarming. Iran's film censors are very strict about what they allow, so films like this are the standard fare. The films themselves are actually quite telling about everyday life in modern Iran, and I think these elements are the most telling of all. Unlike in western (particular American) cinema where you are beat over the head with parables and themes and lessons, these Iranian films just present a story simply and let you conclude whatever you like.

Over rated
This films scenes of Iranian street life were very interesting, but I couldn't enjoy the visuals at all. The pace of the film is crushingly slow, and the little girl got on my nerves. I hate to sound mean, but the way she lost the money and the way she always looked like she was about to cry got under my skin.

Deceptively simple story-telling at its best
Simply put, determined seven-year-old girls are one of the constants of the universe, and little Razieh is an excellent example of this. While not exactly spoiled, she is nonetheless sheltered from some of tense dynamics within her family --- and unfortunately, a stressed out mother and a father prone to violent outbursts also are far too easy for people across the world to relate to.

For Razieh, it is all pretty simple --- the quest for the extra-chubby goldfish, and dealing with the twists and turns of achieving her goal. Every child has been a situation like this, and for those of us who can remember how it felt, this movie is a fascinating and deceptively simple tale.

The world can be a pretty scary place for a seven-year-old, and this movie brings that home quite powerfully. One feels especially the ominous presence of a not particularly benign government. in the form of an intimidating military presence.

The movie's success rests on the ability of the girl playing Razieh to deliver her lines while retaining that natural little girl quality. This she does magnificently. She is irresistably cute (and knows it) but also can be a real pain in the ass when she doesn't get what she wants. She is also overwhelmed by the world outside, but has enough resourcefulness to stick up for herself when she is being dealt with unfairly (as with the snake charmer).

She also conveys the power of loss, and reminds the viewer that just because an adult may regard something as trivial, it is nonetheless very real and very devastating to a child, and that the despair of loss for the child is as real as anything an adult might experience. The moment when Razieh is at the pet shop and realizes that she has lost her bank note --- where she realizes that she is really screwed and also in big big trouble --- is as moving a scene in the cinema as I have seen.

Some viewers may find life as it actually happens to be pretty boring cinema, and I suppose in the wrong hands it could be extremely boring, but not in this case. This has remained one of my favorite foreign films of all times. I look forward to my not-quite one-year-old daughter reaching Razieh's age, so that I can begin to appreciate the similarities. I sure she will drive me crazy just like Razieh would.

Boring
Boring. The whining little girl was just plain annoying.

Other Iranian directors have been successful in getting around the censors while telling an interesting story. This director has failed. People who insist on seeing this film as artistic are trying too hard.

Boring and lousy movie for no purpose at all
After seeing "Children of Heaven" and "The Color of Paradise", this "White Balloon" movie really turned me off for loving Iranian movie further. This is an aimless, purposeless movie except focus on that astrayed paper money. The girl kid is likable but loveable. Other characters in this movie are just shadowy supporting roles, but supporting what? You don't need to pay over ($) for this movie. The seller should try to sell this movie as low but also as quick as possible. There are guys like me outthere who would buy it and regret did it. Sigh..... ... Read more

Reviews (20)

a good film
You might be able to catch this very well-made movie in some arthouse theater or one that isn't shy and scared to play something that isn't predictable HOLLYWOOD garbage.This film is about women in IRAN and is very well done. The cinematography is impressive overall. I recommend this, but don't see it if you hate reading subtitles (it's spoken in Persian)

Wonderful, daring movie!
This movie easily became of my favorites. Along with Abbas Kiarostami's "Taste of Cherry", this one of the most daring films to come out of Iran in recent years. Director Jafar Panahi skillfully depicts the ever worsening condition of Iranian women under the Islamic regime. This is a very realistic telling of the everyday lives of Iranian women, especially those who dare to defy the repressive measures they have been forced to endure in the past 22 years. This is one movie that does not stick to cultural relativism or try to give religious justifications for how the characters are treated. It shows each of the characters as human beings with dreams and aspirations who are trapped in circumstances beyond their control. No wonder this movie was banned in Iran by the Islamic republic's board of censorship.

The cast is great, the dialogues are great and the overall setting is very realistic. The cinematography is also good. This movie may seem slow or boring to those who are not familiar with the current political setting of Iran. There are several intertwined stories in this movie and this may seem confusing to impatient viewers.

Also, the subtitles are not great (as is the case with "Taste of Cherry".)

* In Persian with English Subtitles

When good intentions collapse
This is an importnat and timely film, perhaps even more so now as Iran perepares for another crucial election in which moderate clerics will have to struggle against the conservative establishment, which refuses to note the calls for reform form the people. This film offers a valuable examinations of the current social and political situation in Iran. There was widespread hope that under President Khatami, Iran could have taken a more liberal course shedding by the wayside the conservative positions adopted by previous governments of the Islamic Republic. This has also been reflected in the emerging and highly acclaimed film industry, which despite its success, has tended to shun political themes. However, some signs of change are ther for those who observe carefully. In the case of Jafar Panahi's "The Circle" the political allusions are evident from the title, which serves as a metaphor for the narrative and for what Khatami's politics have so far meant to Iranians who had hoped for change, in other words their hopes have been invain.

rasitha
A time waster! If you are completely oblivious to the lack of women's rights in the Middle East, then you may find this an interesting documentary.
However, for anyone with prior appreciation of the grave situation, expecting to find an interesting story within the constraints of female society will be immensely disappointed. This film falls well short.

The LAW's life as 'law'
This is a harsh film made up of several fractured stories that eventually come all together in showing the life at the fringes of the Iranian society. It's about women, as ever culpable gender, walking the dreary space they could carve around, and temporarily away from, the LAW. These women's short lives on screen, though different, have a lot in common in their moth-like gyrations. Additionally noteworthy are the few powerful sketches of men as accomplices, LAW enforcers, women abusers, LAW distorters (i.e. 'law' abiders). The viewer's rage is well controlled; all the tragic becomes chronic sadness. Iranian expats' opinions would be more than welcome! Just above mediocre transfer on DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

a good film
You might be able to catch this very well-made movie in some arthouse theater or one that isn't shy and scared to play something that isn't predictable HOLLYWOOD garbage.This film is about women in IRAN and is very well done. The cinematography is impressive overall. I recommend this, but don't see it if you hate reading subtitles (it's spoken in Persian)

Wonderful, daring movie!
This movie easily became of my favorites. Along with Abbas Kiarostami's "Taste of Cherry", this one of the most daring films to come out of Iran in recent years. Director Jafar Panahi skillfully depicts the ever worsening condition of Iranian women under the Islamic regime. This is a very realistic telling of the everyday lives of Iranian women, especially those who dare to defy the repressive measures they have been forced to endure in the past 22 years. This is one movie that does not stick to cultural relativism or try to give religious justifications for how the characters are treated. It shows each of the characters as human beings with dreams and aspirations who are trapped in circumstances beyond their control. No wonder this movie was banned in Iran by the Islamic republic's board of censorship.

The cast is great, the dialogues are great and the overall setting is very realistic. The cinematography is also good. This movie may seem slow or boring to those who are not familiar with the current political setting of Iran. There are several intertwined stories in this movie and this may seem confusing to impatient viewers.

Also, the subtitles are not great (as is the case with "Taste of Cherry".)

* In Persian with English Subtitles

When good intentions collapse
This is an importnat and timely film, perhaps even more so now as Iran perepares for another crucial election in which moderate clerics will have to struggle against the conservative establishment, which refuses to note the calls for reform form the people. This film offers a valuable examinations of the current social and political situation in Iran. There was widespread hope that under President Khatami, Iran could have taken a more liberal course shedding by the wayside the conservative positions adopted by previous governments of the Islamic Republic. This has also been reflected in the emerging and highly acclaimed film industry, which despite its success, has tended to shun political themes. However, some signs of change are ther for those who observe carefully. In the case of Jafar Panahi's "The Circle" the political allusions are evident from the title, which serves as a metaphor for the narrative and for what Khatami's politics have so far meant to Iranians who had hoped for change, in other words their hopes have been invain.

rasitha
A time waster! If you are completely oblivious to the lack of women's rights in the Middle East, then you may find this an interesting documentary.
However, for anyone with prior appreciation of the grave situation, expecting to find an interesting story within the constraints of female society will be immensely disappointed. This film falls well short.

The LAW's life as 'law'
This is a harsh film made up of several fractured stories that eventually come all together in showing the life at the fringes of the Iranian society. It's about women, as ever culpable gender, walking the dreary space they could carve around, and temporarily away from, the LAW. These women's short lives on screen, though different, have a lot in common in their moth-like gyrations. Additionally noteworthy are the few powerful sketches of men as accomplices, LAW enforcers, women abusers, LAW distorters (i.e. 'law' abiders). The viewer's rage is well controlled; all the tragic becomes chronic sadness. Iranian expats' opinions would be more than welcome! Just above mediocre transfer on DVD. ... Read more

Description

Award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi's (The White Balloon, The Circle) latest triumph is an intimate and absorbing drama about the ways in which the hypocrisies and slights of daily life can push otherwise reasonable people over the edge. Based on true events and written by acclaimed director Abbas Kiarostami (A Taste of Cherry), CRIMSON GOLD is the story of Hussein, a humble pizza deliveryman who feels continually humiliated by the injustices he sees all around him. When his friend Ali finds a receipt for a stranger's necklace purchase, Hussein is stunned by its exceptionally high cost. He knows that his pitiful salary will never be enough to afford such a luxury. Soon after, he and Ali are refused entry to an uptown jewelry store because of their scruffy appearances; his rage over this slight sets off a series of events.But Hussein will taste the luxurious life for one night before his deep feelings of humiliation push him over the edge. ... Read more

Description

Award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi's (The White Balloon, The Circle) latest triumph is an intimate and absorbing drama about the ways in which the hypocrisies and slights of daily life can push otherwise reasonable people over the edge. Based on true events and written by acclaimed director Abbas Kiarostami (A Taste of Cherry), CRIMSON GOLD is the story of Hussein, a humble pizza deliveryman who feels continually humiliated by the injustices he sees all around him. When his friend Ali finds a receipt for a stranger's necklace purchase, Hussein is stunned by its exceptionally high cost. He knows that his pitiful salary will never be enough to afford such a luxury. Soon after, he and Ali are refused entry to an uptown jewelry store because of their scruffy appearances; his rage over this slight sets off a series of events.But Hussein will taste the luxurious life for one night before his deep feelings of humiliation push him over the edge. ... Read more