The Persian Version

I enjoyed it more than i thought i would! Probably because i went in, expecting a total disaster! I'm happy that it wasn't but to be honest, this movie isn't THE BEST representation of Iranians, but it's a start!

I see a lot of people talking about the first dance scene and how it's not an Iranian dance, but i think it was not supposed to be. I personally was more concerned about the architecture of houses in Iran in this film, but they made this film in the US, i guess it was as good as they could do it.

Actors' performances were a little off, at least to me, but the casting, specifically the young versions of the main characters were right on!

The story could do a little more grooming in my opinion; there were a lot of unnecessary things that they talked about and a lot more important things that they didn't.

All in all, i am so happy that this movie was made, i think it's a start for the new generation of Iranian filmmakers to show the world what has had happened to us in the last 45 years, because they don't believe the things we say to them easily, they think we're making them up!

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.

A child of mixed parents, from iran and murrica, leila doesn't really fit in with either culture. She's a lesbian, which is hard enough to deal with, much less when you have conservative parents. Her mother says she is shaming her father and grandfather by living this way, but as leila points out, those are just excuses... it's really mom herself who feels ashamed of her daughter. Lots of narration, which gets annoying. The main story is that dad just got a new heart, and must have total relaxation. This puts pressure on the rest of the family to bring home the bacon. Leila has even more surprises coming her way! Will she ever get to live how and where she dreamed? It's pretty good! Interesting to see things from another perspective. Although we didn't really need to spend so much time on the details of her mother's marriages and pregnancies. It's long enough already! Could have cut out about twenty minutes or more. Written and directed by maryam keshavarz, this definitely feels like someone's actual story.

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.

Just Got out of a Persian Version Screening.

It Runs Well for a while and then round about when it gets to the mothers backstory, the wind is completely taken out of the sails.

I was watching it and I thought to myself "ok, I see what the Filmakers are doing, but this is taking far too long " and that segment just brought the film to an absolute standstill(in my opinion).

I think the Structuring of this Film is All Out of Whack. In other words everything in the film is there but it's all out of order.

Another thing, that very ending execution, with the naming of the baby, that was not done Very well at all. It was sort of like "I'm calling the baby so and so" - "Why?" - "Ehh just because". Lol, that's it? Where's the execution of this very important moment? 🤷

Things I did like -

1. I loved the 4th wall Breaking with the Freezing of the background characters.

2. I really like the sometimes playful Tone of the film.

3. Some of the Comedy really worked well.

Overall, the Structuring of the Film Hinders the potential for a Well Delivered Film, and the Very ending Execution is not good.