Shift-e Shab

A decent try to copy popular style of art house filmmaking in Iran with not much success in result. It's amateur in many aspects especially the storyline. There is no engaging conflict and the process of solving the problem is not interesting. The greatest surprise is the extremely flat performances which is not expected when the director comes from an acting background with years of well appreciated experience.

I usually trust IMDb ratings for movie, and was shocked to find this has been rated 4.5!! I had to open an IMDb account to contest otherwise! I happened to watch this movie on a long haul flight and I enjoyed every minute of this movie. Shift-e-Shab shines light on mental health and social pressures in a sometimes hard Iranian environment. It is a well acted, highly moving film that will keep you on your toes. You really feel the pain and anguish of nahid. The little girl does a fantastic job too. You can really sense the toll the consequences take on the whole family. This movie had me gasping on the plane with emotion. A Farsi gem of a movie.