BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Lawbolisted Powerful

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

vivaldi-bgd So what if the story does not reflect the Iranian society, culture and LGBT community? This is a beautiful coming-of-age story about love between two girls developing in a strongly oppressed society. Even if it is not Iranian, which is hard for me to believe, unfortunately there are many other places on Earth where same-sex love is strongly disapproved of and even criminalized.This multi-faceted film tells several stories and all but the love story are very disturbing - religious fanaticism, denied human rights, strong patriarchal society, drug addiction, hypocrisy, personal psychological issues. Amid the turbulent background, there is a pure and innocent relationship between the two girls, aged 16-ish. The two leading actresses played excellent roles, portraying masterfully both joy and agony. The agony which they are going through is almost physically hurting. I admired attention to detail in depicting this young love. The only thing that lacked a stronger connection between the two girls is the marriage ceremony and party afterward. As a turning point of their lives, one would expect their belonging to each other to be expressed more clearly especially through eye contact.Contemporary lesbian cinematography contains true masterpieces but also epic fails. This film is one of the bright examples of a well-written, directed and produced pieces of art. In spite of the ending, we are indeed left with hope that things can change for same-sex love in this dark world.

arminsale I cannot stress enough on this, DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM FOR HEAVENS SAKE period Even if you are one of those human right activists and the best film you watched was Titanic, DO NOT WATE YOUR PRECIOUS TIME ON IT , not even if its porn time because it doesn't even tell you anything about Iranian society. But i don't really fancy talking about the context because i believe this is why such films are made. Bunch of morons who believe they can make a good film just because it has good purpose like gender equality or rights of homosexuals.Which is wrong CINEMA IS NOT A DEVICE ,ITS ART.I wonder who paid for this film. Not only that the dialog is extremely weak, the people who read it cant even speak Farsi fluently. The story doesn't make sense and the sex scenes are unnecessary and not in harmony with the story. I don't know if the director was trying to show a love story or criticise the Iranian regime. It certainly doesn't make me feel sorry for gays in Iran (although i already do) and the only reaction i had after this film was a hard-on. Please don't watch it.Or at least ,dont pay for it.

drawnprophet I recently met Maryam Keshavarz after watching a screening of Circumstance. A lot of the reviews here complain that it is unrealistic and that she has no basis of Iranian culture and that the actors aren't from Iran, etc. But Keshavarz's family is from Iran and she spent a lot of time there as a child. She based Mehran's character off of her uncle who made a similar transition after war. As for the actors, all of them are Iranian. They might not have been living in Iran, but she said all of them are from Iran. And she could not advertise the roles in Iran. Secondly, it doesn't look like Iran BECAUSE IT'S NOT. The director was forced to shoot the film in a different country under great suspicion. This film was shot on actual film, not digital, and all of it happened within the span of six weeks. Which is not that long. The cinematography is phenomenal. And finally. This movie is illegal in Iran. And none of the actors or the director are allowed back to Iran. Ever. I think that says something.I personally thought this movie was beautiful. The cinematography was good. The plot was enticing and wonderfully executed for the budget and restraints they faced. I highly recommend this movie.

Celtic Harp The truth is I didn't have much expectations from this movie, for no special reason. But I was really surprised in a good way at the end!The suppressed emotions these two girls have, the way they are revealed to us, the dreams they have, the way women live in Iran...I was shocked in a way by this movie.. It made me want to search more about the living conditions (for women mostly) in Iran, and in Muslim countries in general.This movie could be the Iranian version of "Fire" ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116308/ ). I'm pretty sure you will like this one if you liked Fire.I totally recommend this movie, especially if you're into lesbian movies :)