Death of Yazdgerd: a slow film illustrates how the common people are caught between two repressive forces
Bahram Beyzai, “Death of Yazdgerd / Mard Yazdgerd” (1982) Running close to 2 hours with a small cast, a heavy emphasis on dialogue to push its…
Middle Eastern Films
Reviews of films from Middle Eastern countries including Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and countries of the Arabian Peninsula.
Diplomatic Viruses: a deeply disturbing film about a US military laboratory in Georgia
Diljana Gaytandzhieva, “Diplomatic Viruses” (Al Mayadeen, 2018) Bulgarian journalist Diljana Gaytandzhieva gained fame early in 2018 for uncovering and reporting on shipments of weapons from EU…
Undercover in Idlib: secret snapshot of jihadi-held Idlib province in northwestern Syria
Jenan Moussa, “Undercover in Idlib” (2017) Presented and narrated by Jenan Moussa, a reporter for Al Aan TV in Dubai, this 22-minute documentary on the situation…
Those Who Said No: a slickly made and polished film that is less than honest about the politics of the activists it champions
Nima Sarvestani, “Those Who Said No” (2015) A very polished film, complete with stereotypical mournful droning music in parts, this Iranian / Swedish documentary follows proceedings…
The Insult: a calculated and manipulative soap opera melodrama posing as a courtroom thriller
Ziad Doueiri, “The Insult” (2018) On one level, this Lebanese film illustrates the power of an utterance to inflame hidden animosities and escalate them (in a…
Latin American Films (non-Spanish / non-Portuguese), Middle Eastern Films
A depressing view of Israeli society in “Empire Files: Israelis Speak Candidly About Palestinians”
Abby Martin, “Empire Files: Israelis Speak Candidly About Palestinians” (October 2017) Abby Martin is an American journalist who hosts an ongoing current affairs show The Empire…
No Date, No Signature: a traffic collision leads to an investigation of class conflict and an unsympathetic bureaucracy in a gritty realist drama
Vahid Jalilvand, “No Date, No Signature” (2017) A chance encounter between two characters who would never have met otherwise becomes an examination of class conflict in…
Foxtrot: a meditation on loss, grief and the circularity of indifference, suffering and brutality
Samuel Maoz, “Foxtrot” (2017) Divided into three parts, with the first and third parts dominated by the same actors and sharing the same setting (an apartment),…
Middle Eastern Films, North American Films
The Jimmy Dore Show: Interview with Carla Ortiz (23 April 2018) – exposing the reality behind the Syrian White Helmets
“The Jimmy Dore Show: Interview with Carla Ortiz” (23 April, 2018) A most unexpected surprise from what I would have considered the least likely medium surfaced…
The Baby: a snapshot of modern Tehran and young people caught between traditional family values and the temptations of city and university life
Ali Asgari, “The Baby / Bacheh” (2014) In the space of 16 minutes, we’re drawn into a gritty world of urban bleakness and desperation that is…