Bab'Aziz

This tantalizing story concentrates on - and does it from the very different perspectives - being on the way, searching for the deepest meaning, passionately yearning to reach the goal which is at the same time universal and in every case slightly different: love, truth, spirituality - however You call it. And like so often in our lives we end up finding that the search itself has been this what we actually have been looking for. Don't let the surroundings confuse You, however magnificent they are. Those who take this movie as a kind of version of 1000 and one night completely miss the point; also because the old dervish mystical tradition is far from - and quite often even in conflict with - the convictions which are shared in the mainstream Arabian culture. For me it was a universal story about deepest passions which have been moving and still move the souls of humanity. I saw this movie in last November, but it's still haunting me

I saw this dazzling work of art at the Palm Springs film festival January 10 and it got my vote for best film of the week. It was as beautiful as it was touching and funny. Maryam Hamid gave a flawless performance as the charming and sweet Ishtar. Parviz Shaminkhou was superb as her determined and caring dervish grandfather. Blind but not sightless, he finds his way across the constantly changing terrain guided only by his heart, in search of that place he is meant to be. The hypnotizing music of Armand Amar was the perfect accompaniment to the stunning Tunisian landscape where each scene was more magnificent than the next; a dream within a dream. Do not miss this film.

I went today on a film festival in Izola, Slovenia and this was the first movie I saw. I'm in a youth jury.

I have to say that this is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Everything is going on in a desert and you completely feel like your a part of this story. Movie photography is amazing. There are four stories that all tell one message. Maybe it's a little hard to follow all the stories, but in the end everything makes sense. I loved the message, but I can't tell you what it is, I want you to see the movie.

The music was also amazing. Arabic music makes you feel like your there, in the movie, but sometimes it's a little bit to loud...you can't hear the desert. But maybe that's what the director wanted. I recommend it to everyone!

Although there are moments when the movie may seem to progress slowly; nonetheless it kept the audience at the cinema glued to their seats. I went to watch the movie twice. It did not attract huge audiences; which in great part may be due to its lack of adequate advertising; but those few who did come to see the movie were glued to their seats. The movie has two great features. One is the soul stirring choice of music and its perfect adaptation to the scenes. Secondly, the movie successfully achieves the difficult undertaking of introducing and explaining in graphic terms and with simple stories the almost exclusively Oriental world of mysticism. The setting might not reflect the physical or material reality of the East, but it definitely does add to the magic and facilitates the viewer's transit from the material world outside to the spiritual world within. Highly recommended.

For anyone who is unaware of the culture,the Dervish is an integral part of the Sufi branch of Islam (the ones who embrace mysticism). This is a loving meditation on a grandfather & granddaughter who embark on a spiritual odyssey to a gathering of Dervishes that only takes place every 30 years. Along the way,the pair encounters various persons in the desert that tell their stories (which,like Sufi stories,interweave within one another). This is a lovingly written, directed,filmed (mostly in the barren desert areas of Iran,giving the film a dreamy & surreal look at times)allegory of spirituality. This is a film that deserves to be taken at it's own terms (the pacing is s-l-o-w, but don't let that deter you). The music score is fantastic,with lots of traditional Sufi music (it might help to listen to a bit of it---try anything by the late,great Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn for some background). By all means,get yourself attuned & enjoy this rare bit of entertainment & enlightenment.