Review of Rosewater (2014) by Lucy C — 30 Nov 2014

Equal to Hollywood quality films in every respect. It is difficult to make a movie about the more serious and arguably "boring" part of a conflict, when there is violence and excitement around the corner. Acting, filming style, and direction were top notch, and really placed the viewer in the position of an Iranian on the streets of Tehran in 2009. There was a nice balance between the accuracy of a documentary, and the feeling of a fictional large scale production. Could have easily fit in at the mainstream silver screen.

What makes the film truly spectacular, which I fear will not be understood by many non-Iranians, is the accuracy with which it depicts the treatment of "enemies of the state" in Iran. This is not a movie that has simply grabbed stereotypical western assumptions of what happens in middle eastern countries, but shows the world the true depravity of a long standing tradition in Iran where the government mixes public polite rhetoric with behind the scenes brutality. It may be hard for non-Iranians to believe what a beautiful and sophisticated country is being brutally subjected to, but it is completely accurate.