Shéhérazade: Au-delà du paradis

A deliciously fresh take on the modern love story with gripping dramatic moments. It's a poetic, passionate film that loves its characters. I could not take eyes off of star Francia Raisa from the moment she graced the screen. She wholly embodies the role of Shahrzad and nails every emotion too a tee -- lust, shame, self-loathing, fear, artistic passion, and so much in between -- as the haunted and conflicted woman who escapes her oppressive homeland, and becomes the center of a complex love triangle in her newfound Western surroundings.

Ryan Guzman not only looks GOOD as Sebastian, the Spanish American gardener who captures the heart of Shahrzad, but really delivers both charm and sensitivity needed to set the sparks really do fly between the two of them.

Strong performances from the supporting cast -- especially impressive is Daphne Zuniga as a former movie star turned piano teacher also entangled in a love affair with Sebastian.

The characters also boast their own love affairs, so to speak, with the poems of Rumi and Lorca which playfully tie into the story. The soothing music of Tchaikovsky and Persian classical music effectively amp up the emotional level of the story, paired with equally rhythmic and playful visual intercutting. Great film all around.

This movie is perfect. I loved that there were many important topics touched upon and it wasn't only focused on the romantic love story. It was very well written, directed, filmed, edited, and the cast was perfection. I believe Francia Raisa played the role really well, I felt every emotion she was feeling and that to me is powerful acting. She created a perfect passionate match for a love story with Ryan Guzman. Their on screen chemistry was amazing. I enjoyed the way the music and poetry was incorporated into the film as well. Very creative. Not many films draw me in emotionally, but this movie definitely did just that. I HIGHLY recommend watching it.

I love Ryan Guzman, so I found this movie. I really wanted to like it but it was borderline unwatchable. I feel like you were supposed to be on the side of the protagonist, but her character was really unlikable. I found myself on pretty much anyone else's side other than hers; but throughout the film, every character had moments where they appeared to be the "bad guy." Other things worth mentioning; the plot was very all over the place. Several story lines were brought up to be immediately dropped? It was like a hodge podge of ideas into one film. All that aside, the acting was amazing. The actors did a phenomenal job despite subpar screenwriting. If it wasn't for the music, poetry and acting; this would be a 0 stars in my book.

I watched it with my 20 years old daughter, and we both loved it very much. it's very romantic, touching story line, and great act by Ryan, Francia and Max. loved the poems and songs in the movie. Francia played as a Persian girl, and she did great. Ryan did a fantastic romantic act. RUMI poems were picked very well for this movie, and beautiful voice singing them. it brought up the women issues in Iran, which touched me a lot. I liked the original dialogue. the film is original, pointing to issues in the world such as tortures, forced immigration, forced marriage and relationships.

great movie to watch.

A quiet film that can easily be discarded as just a romance with two good looking young film stars (Ryan Guzman and Francia Raisa), but it touches on many social issues, such as surviving breast cancer, cultural differences, women's rights and violence against women. What makes this film unique is it's ability to combine classic poetry (Rumi and Lorca) with classical music (Tchaikovsky, Iranian music)weaving the story through its journey. Also note worthy are the other actors: Daphne Zuniga, Misha Crosby, Maz Amini and Yareli Arizmendi. This isn't a film you want to put on in the back ground while doing laundry. Watch it for its many subtleties.