Circumstance 2011

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: "Circumstance'' is a rhapsodic erotic romance that takes place in a cultural prison, and it pulses with a defiance that would be mischievous if it weren't so rip-roaringly angry. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: [A] stirringly sensual, American-produced ... feature about the urge for personal freedom and its consequences in a repressive society. Read more

G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: Maryam Keshavarz has announced herself as a bold voice, albeit from exile, in the new Iranian cinema. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: Seething passions boil over, and the results are messy. But if excess and unruliness can be counted among the film's flaws, they also represent the very principles it is determined to defend. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: For those who've ever pondered what a Skinemax flick sponsored by Human Rights Watch would look like, wonder no more. Read more

Logan Hill, New York Magazine/Vulture: The film doesn't feel weighed down with the burden of representation: It's too free-flowing for that, too plot-heavy, too stylish, too romantic, too hot. Read more

John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: This is a movie about longing, desire, desperation and the abandonment of principle -- quite a collection of themes, all universal. Read more

Sam Adams, AV Club: Circumstance is solidly constructed, but without much in the way of inspiration. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: This impressive debut feature generates plenty of erotic heat, and Nikohl Boosheri, in her first screen role, gives a captivating performance as the sensually awakened heroine. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: The film wages an internal battle between its ripely sensual atmosphere and its often stilted pacing and plotting. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Despite its arty veneer and its ostensibly political edge, Circumstance seems more interested in titillation than revelation. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: [The] film is too much a wounded love story to slide into polemic. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Both Boosheri and Kazemy are newcomers, but their spirited, tender performances -- from the eroticism to the shame and the flights of freedom -- feel completely, devastatingly real. Read more

James Greenberg, Hollywood Reporter: Stunning debut lifts the veil on life in Iran. Read more

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: A taboo-busting snapshot of contemporary Tehran - a provocative psychodrama that's part Iranian "Girls Gone Wild," set just before the 2009 elections. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Keshavarz, who was born in New York City and grew up in the U.S. and Iran, shows us how young people in Tehran get around the constrictive system... Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: Circumstance is in many ways an impressive achievement. But its mix of documentary detail and melodramatic plotting ultimately tips toward the latter. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Though some things feel familiar - Atafeh is wealthy, while Shireen is an orphan - Keshavarz's vision is clear and heartfelt, and everyone has an urgency in their eyes. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: Iran's religious fundamentalists can't be pleased with "Circumstance," a bold denunciation of their country's intolerance, especially toward women. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: More interesting for its cultural views than for its insights into love, sex, family angst, and rebellious youth. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Unfortunately, it strays into unlikely melodrama and distracting eroticism. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: A powerful debut film and a remarkable tale of oppression and liberation, and one that leaps right to the top of the unfortunately brief list of LGBT-themed films set in the Islamic world. Read more

Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Offers an inside look at Iran in all its cultural complexity. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: About a sexy, frank and politically contentious Iranian film, two things can be known for a certainty: (a) It sure wasn't made in Iran and (b) It won't be shown there either. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Maryam Keshavarz's debut feature contains echoes of The Lives of Others and My Son, the Fanatic, but it stands on its own in its portrayal of everyday people trying to make the best of their circumstances in a restrictive society. Read more

Dave Calhoun, Time Out: The content feels familiar, but the perspective is fresh. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: We never doubt the sincerity of the emotions on display, or of the foretaste Circumstance provides of a society on the brink of radical change. Read more

Robert Koehler, Variety: Circumstance suggests a new way of showing stories about young Iranians even as it stumbles and falls over myriad narrative miscalculations. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: Maryam Keshavarz's earnest, well-intentioned first feature on women's oppression in Iran has trouble resisting its own heavy hand. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Keshavarz has cast mostly newcomers with surprisingly effective results, especially the gorgeous Kazemy, whose somber beauty and quiet focus give her character the gravitas she deserves. Read more