Cause of Death: Unknown

This film hit me hard. "Cause of Death: Unknown" is exactly the kind of Iranian cinema the regime tries to bury. The fact that it was banned for three years, despite not containing any overt political messaging, speaks volumes. It simply tells the truth about the daily struggles of ordinary Iranians-their fight for a normal life. This film is a testament to the resilience of independent artists, created without any official support. The performances are captivating, the direction is masterful, the cinematography is stunning, and the writing is exceptional. For viewers unfamiliar with the region, "Cause of Death: Unknown" offers a rare and essential window into the daily realities of life in Iran and the wider Middle East. Ali Zarnegar's debut feature, "Thunder and Lightning in the Cloudy Sky," represents a resilient Iranian cinema, promising hope for the future.

One driver, six passengers, one road, and one incident!

I originally planned to watch this film in theaters, based on a recommendation from Ehsan Mansouri-but it didn't work out.

Eventually, the film was released, and I watched it right away. All I can say is: what a movie! I think we should keep an eye on its director, Ali Zarnegar-this was his debut, and it shows a lot of promise.

In this film, we join the passengers of a van on a shared journey. We get to know their lives, their personalities, and the stories behind each of them. Each character represents a certain mindset or worldview found in today's society. The film does a brilliant job showing how people try to justify their decisions as "ethical," only for us to discover later that those choices were neither moral nor correct.

I'm hesitant to say more, as I don't want to spoil anything.

So I'll just say this: I really liked Cause of Death: Unknown, and if you're into serious, socially-driven Iranian cinema, don't miss this one. The film was banned for three years before release, and it's worth the wait. I'd give it a 6 out of 10-and those who follow my reviews know that's a solid rating coming from me.

(For context, the film currently has a 6.9 rating on IMDb.)

I think this movie is one of the best movies made by mankind and it is really artistically made and directed. Thank you for making it. I request the director of this film to make more films like this, especially films in which there are very humorous characters, and if possible, scenes should be shot in the city of Shiraz, because Shiraz Shahed is really very nice and lovely. Thank you again. This movie had very interesting scenes that my family and I enjoyed watching it very much and we are waiting for the second series of this movie and we request that more series of this movie be made and there is still room from the hard working team of directors and I would like to thank the producer of this movie. Thank you.

The film, with its rich & engaging script, was tense from the begining. I was at the edge of my seat from the beginning. I could not guess what's about to happen next, which is typical of Ali Zarnegar's stories and scripts. And the acting was beyond anything I have seen in recent years in the Iranian cinema. It delves into the financial and economic hardship in the Iranian society, exploring many human reactions to love, friendship, dedication, immigration and basic human needs. The most interesting part is that each character is in desperate need of funds to resolve some part of their life's challenges, and how each character behaves in face of money vs. Making hard decisions to part from that money.

Definitely recommended.

"Cause of death unknown" is a respectable and honorable film that tries to present its moral and ethical discourse without any political slogans or intellectual pretensions, and says that despite the many problems that everyone allows themselves to have, morality, humanity, ethics and dignity should not be trampled underfoot, otherwise every claim will collapse immediately and the oppression that has reached anyone with problems will be like a second domino effect. This film is worth seeing and in the drought, it is a tragic drama worth paying attention to.

In "Cause of death: Unknown" the cause of human actions is not unknown, the people of the story are ourselves, with all its lights and darknesses, we are thrown into the struggle between selfish interests and moral knowledge... If one of the good ingredients of the film is that when it's over, it's just beginning in your mind, "Cause of death: Unknown" is definitely a gem... I don't recommend watching it, I insist.