Maryam Ghorbankarimi

Latest Film Reviews

• 
  We Are Many (2020)

  Review preview for We Are Many

  Makes a profound point about what democracy really is in practice.

  A documentary about the protests against the US and UK going to war with Iraq that took place in 2003.
• 
  Are You Glad I'm Here? (2018)

  Review preview for Are You Glad I'm Here?

  This domestic drama set in Lebanon also has elements of black humour, which is unique in comparison to other Lebanese films.

  A millennial American woman befriends a Lebanese housewife and disrupts her ordered life. One night they become accidental partners-in-crime.
• 
  Degenerates (2018)

  Review preview for Degenerates

  The film offers an interesting play on the concept of reality and fiction.

  A screenwriter recruits a group of eccentric characters to go and find a missing teenage girl, with the intention of turning the search into a true story script.
• 
  Change In The Air (2018)

  Review preview for Change In The Air

  The film builds up a good amount of suspense at the beginning but does not keep the pace throughout.

  When a beguiling young woman moves in next door, a quiet neighbourhood is awakened, bringing people face to face with their secrets and, ultimately, themselves.
• 
  Zagros (2017)

  Review preview for Zagros

  Besides altering preconceived notions of heartless killing in the name of honour and making it more of a love story, Kalifa also gives it some nuanced political undertones.

  A Kurdish shepherd is consumed by jealousy after he follows his wife to Belgium.
• 
  What Will People Say (2017)

  Review preview for What Will People Say

  Although this film begins by catering to some of the stereotypical assumptions of what would happen to girls like Nisha in an honour-based culture, it goes beyond the stereotypes and offers a fresh point of view.

  Sixteen-year-old Nisha lives a double life.
• 
  Just Another Love Story (2007)

  Review preview for Just Another Love Story

  Beautifully shot and well acted.

  A case of mistaken identity after a car accident turns violent and seedy.
• 
  The Song Of Sparrows (2008)

  Review preview for The Song Of Sparrows

  As usual, Majidi’s characters speak much more through the environments they inhabit than through dialogue, allowing his films to be easily understood worldwide.

  This Iranian morality tale deals with an ostrich farmer who loses his job and is forced to travel to and from the city.
• 
  Elegy (2008)

  Review preview for Elegy

  Elegy is well acted by both the lead and the supporting actors, which helps in carrying the emotional load of the film forward.

  A college lecturer becomes obsessed by the student with whom he is having an affair.
• 
  Bosta (2005)

  Review preview for Bosta

  Combining the serious and the cheerful, Bosta portrays both the beauty and the problems of Lebanese society.

  A dance troupe bring together traditional and modern musical ideas on a tour aimed at bringing together the people of post-war Lebanon.