Why you can trust 12DOVE
Next time you go to the flicks, turn around and spend the whole film staring at the audience.
You’re sure to have as rewarding an experience as that offered by Abbas Kiarostami in this austere experiment, an interminable series of close-ups of a hundred-odd Iranian actresses – plus a tearful Juliette Binoche – wordlessly reacting to an adaptation of a 12th Century poem we hear but never see.
Admittedly, there is a hypnotic quality to the women’s rapt expressions that initially proves beguiling.
Once the curiosity factor’s gone, though, you’re left with 90 minutes of unmitigated tedium that’s really one long art installation.
Neil Smith is a freelance film critic who has written for several publications, including Total Film. His bylines can be found at the BBC, Film 4 Independent, Uncut Magazine, SFX, Heat Magazine, Popcorn, and more.
The Inside Out 2 panic attack scene is one of the best depictions of anxiety ever – and something Pixar director Kelsey Mann is incredibly proud of: "I couldn't be happier"
When making Kingdom Hearts, the "one thing" RPG icon Tetsuya Nomura "wasn't willing to budge on" was a non-Disney protagonist
The Witcher fans in shambles after a new book reveals just how old Geralt really is