The Persian Version

I quite enjoyed this intergenerational story of an Iranian immigrant family trying to piece together their versions of the American dream and the misunderstandings that happen in between. It is essentially about the uneasy relationship between a mother and daughter; the rest of it often feels like informational dumps on Iranian culture (and heritage), but told through a lighter lens. Even in that regard, the film is fairly fun because it's either showing us vibrant frames, tackling a particular emotion, or making us chuckle. Some of it feels like flab, especially the scandal part of the mother's backstory, and it ideally should've gotten better treatment at the edit desk.

It makes all the sense in the world to appreciate certain performances, especially those of Niousha Noor, Chiara Stella, and Layla Mohammadi. While the two distinct labor room scenes have their significance plotwise, I wondered if there was any other way to put the same emotional messaging across, without them feeling repetitive. The second one comes off a beautiful moment of reconciliation indeed, and that's one reason why I wouldn't dive too deep into it. Also, the fourth-wall-breaking moments go just a tad too far. Regardless of however you perceive all of it, there's some fun to be had!

The Persian Version centers on a mother-daughter relationship, while walking through Iranian-American culture and history, family secrets, trauma, and love. While engaging, this disjointed movie starts as a comedy and then gradually amps up its depth as a drama. While the comedy and the drama are both worthwhile stories, they sit imperfectly together in this film, effectively two separate movies. And yet, for its two narratives, The Persian Version serves a love letter for the strength and resilience of immigrant women and their daughters, especially the fierce Iranian women still fighting for their rights today.

The writer may have been away from Iran for so long that she's forgotten the actual Iranian life. The movie is called The Persian Version, so I expected it to be relatable to the average Iranian immigrant, but it was not. The depiction of the family's life back in Iran is inaccurate, and the dancing scenes imitate Indian movies. The Iranian houses in the movie are not what typical Iranian houses look like. Their family of 9 is much larger than a classic Iranian family. Even the extent of their belief in religion and the savior did not reflect common religious Iranian beliefs.

For all these reasons I felt a disconnect throughout the movie. The idea for the movie was great, but I wish they would've worked more on their writing and accuracy.

I really liked the movie. It made me laugh and cry, and I enjoyed every moment. When it ended, I missed the characters. The story felt familiar, like something from my family. The family parties from the 80s and 90s were spot-on and brought back memories. The way they showed different times in the story was cool, but I got a bit confused when it went back to the 60s. I wanted to know more about how the husband survived. Also, I didn't get why a guy from a village would go all the way to the US. Despite that, the movie had great characters and showed parts of Iranian culture and strong Persian women. It's a perfect example for other movies that women's rights and support doesn't mean picturing all men as evil monsters or negative.

This movie is based on a very interesting story of an immigrant family and their transition from traditional Iranians to modern Americans. It is presented mostly through the eyes of a young writer, who is also the protagonist, and de facto heroine. Her life and her family's are really quite interesting and well deserve a movie to present them to others. The movie should be entertaining to those interested in the modern history of Iran, emigration to the US, and the changes within families after settling here. It's also a case study of how self involved parents can emotionally neglect their children. The acting of the mother character, both as an adult in the US and as a very young woman in Iran are strong points, and the actress acting the newly married young wife is excellent in her role.

Unfortunately, the first half of the movie is full of extraneous scenes that are more about the chaotic lives of 20 somethings than about the cultures. An example is an over-the-top female impersonator, with a British accent to boot. The overly rapid speech and unclear English diction in places were also handicaps. If you are somewhat bored during the first half, be patient, as the film gets better in the second half. Then, it starts to portray the heart of the family's story and their motivation for emigrating.

Overall, the tone looks like they took a fine story and dressed it up during filming with a lot of distractions, presumably to hold the attention of those viewers who need some fluff with their drama. By contrast, "The Quiet Girl" is also a film about a girl raised under trying circumstances, but it focuses on the story line, without much gloss. The Persian Version is like listening to a good story told by someone with ADD. You'll eventually get the story, but meanwhile you'll waste some time with their distractions.

I would have rated this higher, if the editing had focused on the heart of the story.