Septembers of Shiraz
| Septembers of Shiraz | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Wayne Blair |
| Produced by |
Gerard Butler Danielle Robinson Alan Siegel Hanna Weg |
| Written by | Hanna Weg |
| Based on |
The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer |
| Starring |
Adrien Brody Salma Hayek Shohreh Aghdashloo Anthony Azizi Bashar Rahal Alon Aboutboul |
| Music by | Mark Isham |
| Cinematography | Warwick Thornton |
| Edited by | John Scott |
Production company |
Gerard Butler Alan Siegel Entertainment Millennium Films |
| Distributed by | Momentum Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 109 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Septembers of Shiraz is a 2015 American drama film directed by Wayne Blair and written by Hanna Weg. It is based on Dalia Sofer's 2007 novel The Septembers of Shiraz. The film stars Adrien Brody, Salma Hayek, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Anthony Azizi, Bashar Rahal and Alon Aboutboul. The film was released on June 24, 2016, by Momentum Pictures.
Plot
During the first months after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, wealthy Jewish Iranian gemologist Isaac Amin (Adrien Brody) is suddenly arrested at his office in Tehran by the Revolutionary Guards who take him to prison. During his prison days, he meets fellow prisoners of different backgrounds, who get tortured and finally prosecuted. In interrogation sessions, his interrogator Mohsen (Alon Aboutboul), once torturing him with a lit cigarette and having him lashed, refers to the injustice of being affluent and to the justice that the revolution is bringing to the oppressed. After the guards scare him by putting him before a firing squad and shooting around his body, he says to Mohsen that he has realized the truth and is ready to pay all his savings as his debt to the revolution. After emptying his bank account, Mohsen declares him free and leaves him alone in the street. Isaac goes to his office, now deserted, and recovers a hidden pack of diamonds from behind of a brick in the wall. As he praperes to leave, he sees Morteza (Navid Navid), a former employee of the office and son of their housekeeper (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who has already directed the stealing of his gems and office equipment, wandering in the corridor. Mohsen asks for more and shows him a letter of compliment that Empress Farah had written to him, to blackmail him. Issac tells him that he is now a contributor to the revolution and can eliminate Morteza by a single phone call. Morteza leaves. Issac refers to a human smuggler and pays him the diamond so he will smuggle them out of Iran. In the meantime, Morteza gives the letter to Mohsen at a Revolutionary Guards office and leaves. When alone, Mohsen reflects over the letter and burns it. In a night journey on horseback and through forest, Isaac and his family make it to the other side of the border.
Cast
- Adrien Brody as Isaac[2]
- Salma Hayek as Farnaz[3]
- Shohreh Aghdashloo as Habibeh[3]
- Anthony Azizi as Mehdi
- Bashar Rahal as Komiteh Member
- Alon Aboutboul as Mohsen
- Wadih Dona as Rostam
- Nasser Memarzia as Mansoor
- Navid Navid as Morteza
- Velislav Pavlov as Hossein
- Jamie Ward as Parviz Amin
- Ariana Molkara as Shirin
Production
On February 7, 2014, Salma Hayek and Shohreh Aghdashloo joined the cast.[3] On April 9, 2014, Adrien Brody joined the cast.[2] Principal photography began on June 9, 2014.[4] The film was shot in Bulgaria.[5]
Release
The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival on September 15, 2015.[1] The film was released on June 24, 2016, by Momentum Pictures.[6]
Reception
Septembers of Shiraz received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 30%, based on 10 reviews, with a rating of 4.2/10.[7] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 16 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".[6]
Errors
Until 1982 hijab (Islamic veil for women) was not mandatory in Iran, while the film which depicts 1979-80 Iran shows it as mandatory. Streets which are meant to depict Iran are devoid of Paykans, Renault 5's and Citroën Jyane which were trademarks of Iran's streets at the time. Accents with which many characters-- with the exception of Habibeh (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and chief human smuggler-- speak English is not the typical Persian accent; resembling more Arabic or Hebrew accent.
References
- 1 2 "'Septembers of Shiraz': TIFF Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
- 1 2 Fleming, Mike. "'Septembers Of Shiraz' Movie Greenlighted With Adrien Brody Aboard". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
- 1 2 3 "Berlin: Salma Hayek, Shohreh Aghdashloo to Star in 'The Septembers of Shiraz' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
- ↑ "On The Set For 6/9/14: The Septembers of Shiraz Starts, Jennifer Aniston Starrer 'Cake' Wraps". Studiosystemnews.com. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
- ↑ Jake Wilson (2016-07-06). "Septembers of Shiraz review: The Iranian revolution as American melodrama". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- 1 2 "Septembers of Shiraz Reviews". Metacritic. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ↑ "Septembers of Shiraz (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-07-11.