Frontier Blues
Frontier Blues
FRONTIER BLUES features 4 intertwined stories all set in Iran's northern frontier with Turkmenistan, a region that has long been neglected in Iranian cinema, interesting not only for its magnificent, forlorn landscape but also for its multi-ethnic population of Persians, Turkmens and Kazakhs.--©Official Site
2.2 out of 5 based on 10 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Certificate |
15 |
| Genre |
Foreign, Comedy |
| Director |
Babak Jalali |
| Cast |
Mahmoud Kalteh, Khajeh Araz Dordi, Behzad Shahrivari, Karima Adebibe, George Hashemzadeh, Hossein Shams Abolfazl Karimi |
| Studio |
Artificial Eye |
| Release Date |
July 2010 |
| Running Time |
95 mins |
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FRONTIER BLUES features 4 intertwined stories all set in Iran's northern frontier with Turkmenistan, a region that has long been neglected in Iranian cinema, interesting not only for its magnificent, forlorn landscape but also for its multi-ethnic population of Persians, Turkmens and Kazakhs.--©Official Site
Visit official website
Watch the trailer
Reviews
The Evening Standard
Andrew O'Hagan
“The film has stillness and liveliness at the same time, the thing all the great magicians of world cinema from Buster Keaton to Renoir to Lynne Ramsay have tried to capture. I thought of them all while watching this film, the unfolding lives caught with such humour and with such a passion for people’s inner lives.”
30/07/2010
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Empire Magazine
David Parkinson
“First time director Babak Jalali's debut is hopeful but soon falls short by lacking debt and narrative movement.”
01/08/2010
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The Observer
Philip French
“Shot in long, static takes on bleak, dusty locations.”
30/07/2010
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The Independent on Sunday
Nicholas Barber
“There's some striking scenery – and you certainly get time to look at it.”
01/08/2010
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The Daily Telegraph
Sukhdev Sandhu
“Yet, in spite of Paul Langwade’s inventive sound design and tableaux-heavy framing that recalls the mordant work of Roy Andersson, the director is so busy trying to avoid what he thinks are Iranian cinematic clichés that he forgets to replace them with anything that might begin to approach consequence.”
29/07/2010
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The Sunday Times
Edward Porter
“This sort of thing can be fantastically irritating if it’s done with anything less than masterful aplomb. Jalali doesn’t make that grade, and his warm intentions count for less and less as his film pootles along.”
01/08/2010
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Variety
Derek Elley
“A one-trick pony that would have been much more effective at half its length.”
11/08/2010
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The Times
Kevin Maher
“Frontier Blues, instead, is eventually annoyingly blank. Its emotional stance is distant to the point of misanthropy, while it features a central protagonist called, charmingly, “Hassan the Idiot” (Abolfazi Karimi), who is just that.”
29/07/2010
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The Guardian
Steve Rose
“You'd be surprised if anywhere on earth was really this dull and depressing. There aren't even any tractors.”
29/07/2010
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The Independent
Anthony Quinn
“So lethargic it feels in danger of going backwards. ”
30/07/2010
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