It's not a film for the impatient -- no guns, no chases, no explosions. What it does have is beautiful cinematography and a thoroughly positive vibe.
Comment
08/14/09
Rate this Movie 
Bab'Aziz - The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul (2008)
58
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:24
Fresh:14
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: This visually stunning interior epic inspired by Sufi mysticism explores the magic of storytelling but, like its desert locations, can be a bit dry.
Theatrical Release:Feb 8, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: A visual poem of incomparable beauty, this masterpiece from director Nacer Khemir (Wanderers of the Desert) begins with the story of a blind dervish named Bab’Aziz and his spirited granddaughter,... [More]
Starring: Parviz Shahinkhou, Nessim Kahloul, Maryam Hamid, Golshifteh Farahani
Director: Nacer Khemir
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for Bab'Aziz - The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul
Click to read the article
04/23/09
Click to read the article
03/26/09
Top Critic[It] proves that, even in our troubled times, East and West can still come together, when necessary, to produce something completely and utterly confusing.
10/18/08
The cycle of youth and age and the trope of a journey come together inevitably, maybe predictably, but not without sparks of wisdom.
10/18/08
Top CriticIt is neither engaging nor enlightening.
09/11/08
Top CriticA lovely if meandering fantasia about the power of narrative.
06/19/08
Top CriticCinematographer Mahmoud Kalari (Offside) conjures magic from an array of pastels, shimmering lights, and enigmatic ruins.
05/30/08
Top CriticThe movie never gains much narrative momentum and the religious elements remain a bit obscure to the uninitiated, but the fine Sufi music and skillfully crafted images make for pleasant-enough viewing.
05/29/08
More like homework than entertainment
05/22/08
Perhaps inevitably, the story and characters in Bab'Aziz never rival the interest of its photography.
04/25/08
Top CriticThose who find Rumi's wisdom as unknowable as desert sand constantly reshaped by the wind that blows it, will have the same reaction to Bab'Aziz.
04/17/08
There's nothing wrong with being difficult if there's a payoff at the end. Screenwriter-director Nacer Khemir provides that with a visually stunning final scene that makes sense of everything that came before.
04/04/08
Top CriticUsing a mostly seamless series of narrative techniques, the film spins a string of interconnected stories based on Sufi mysticism.
03/14/08
[Nacer] Khemir, a poet and a painter as well as a filmmaker... uses the endless, timeless desert landscape to create an existence in which past and present coexist.
03/13/08
With the collaboration of screenwriter Tonino Guerra, Khemir has created a fresh variation on the somewhat tired subgenre of the crisscross, in which the paths of strangers intersect and converge.
02/22/08
Top CriticAn episodic fairy tale that dazzles the eyes and sometimes tries the patience.
02/22/08
Although beautifully filmed, Bab’Aziz’s form mirrors the actions of its characters, wandering the desert and dancing among the tales, returning to the present-day story for Ishtar, with her wise, old face, to say, 'What happened next?'.
02/11/08
The arrival of the film is, to misuse a dervish cliche, something worth singing and dancing about.
02/10/08
As far as fable imports go, Bab'Aziz is a step up from the Disney-grade moralism of Milarepa, but it's even less memorable.
02/08/08
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox 
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Animated Oscar?
Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.
TIME's Holiday Movie Preview
Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.
Scenic Routes
The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds