Customer Reviews

A World Between

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

"A World Between" (Jason Rezaian and Nazam Manouchehri)is an extraordinarily well done video about the young son (Jason) of an Iranian-American father and an American mother who travels throughout Iran to discover a world he had only previously known through his father's stories. There is genuine poignancy in the narrative as the viewer watches Jason's reunion with his father's relatives or witnesses his father well up with emotion upon visiting the house he grew up in, now in ruins. But the video's forte is in the masterful way the photographer follows Jason through the streets of Tehran, or Esfahan, or Mashad, evoking a sensation of being "really there" in a way rarely achieved in more formal documentaries. It is visually striking throughout and beautifully paced. It is also enlightening, perhaps especially when the viewer observes Jason's thoughtful and unassuming personality engage the interest of ordinary Iranians who are captivated by (and curious about)his American heritage. This is the film I show to my anthropology classes when I want to provide students with a realistic, down-to-earth depiction of the historical beauty of Iran and the complexity of its inhabitants.

I saw this movie recently and thought it was great. It gives you a look inside everyday Iran, which is not something you get to see from American media. For anyone that follows American-Middle East politics, this movie really is a must see. The movie does not have any political agenda, but it will give you a great deal of perspective about the Iranian culture, whether you are conservative, moderate or liberal.

Additionally it has some amazing shots of Tehran and other cities.

A schlubby, dull, spoiled American goes to Iran to get in touch with the Iranian half of his roots and accidentally makes a film worth watching. This film gives a realistic, unromanticized and undemonized view of normal life in Iran. The people he interacts with are awesome, despite his lack of effort to speak their language or engage in the culture (his first question is often "Engelesi baladid?" - Do you speak English?). Funny, beautiful - filmed the way a visitor would be likely to see it. Loved it.

Jason, an Iranian-American has a charming, witty way about him and his curiosity and willingness to stay open helped me really begin to understand some of the differences--and likenesses--of Iran.

Estafan, Iran is quickly moving up to #1 of the places I most want to visit in the world.

I wasn't sure what this was before ordering, but since I try to see every movie I can about Iran, I thought I would give it a try.

It's non-fiction. Shot in high-def video, the narrator, Jason Rezaian, raised in the U.S. but with an Iranian father, decides to finally go back to Iran and travel through all the towns his father's been swooning about: Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashaad. It's almost like reality TV, although a bit better edited.

There were two things that disappointed me. First, the thing is only 56 minutes, whereas I was under the impression it was a feature-length outing. Mr. Rezaian is a likable guy and there was so much else he could have explored. Why was this only an hour?

The second complaint has to do with the bland nature of Mr. Rezaian's reflections. I don't know if it was because his family was listening (and apparently helping) with his movie, or that he needed to remain in the good graces of the Iranian government, but for whatever reason, Rezaian never really dares voice much that is significant about the situation in Iran. Never does he (at least that I can recall) utter anything that casts Iran, Iranians, or the Iranian government in a negative light. Instead the tone of the proceedings is more along the lines of, "So this is what the Shrine of Ali Reza looks like!"

Clearly Mr. Rezaian is not on the side of the Iranian government, and to those comments he might well respond that it was not his intention to get involved in politics and social matters.

Fine. But in that case be warned that the portrait you're about to see of Iran is so intensely personal that it misses large chunks of the world outside.