This is a potent social allegory from Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, told with humor and a feeling of mystery.
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06/30/06
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Iron Island (2006)
97
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Reviews Counted:29
Fresh:28
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: A visually creative yet grounded film from Iran, Iron Island is a political allegory that packs a punch.
Theatrical Release:Mar 31, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: The titular “Iron Island” is a huge rusting tanker off the Iranian coast in which dozens of homeless families have found shelter and formed a community. The head of the ship, Captain Nemat tries to... [More]
Starring: Ali Nassirian, Hossein Farzi-Zadeh, Neda Pakdaman, Didar Razeghi
Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
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Reviews for Iron Island
Top CriticBut behind the utopian fairy tale is the genial authoritarianism... Ambivalence has rarely been made so lyrical and lovely.
07/20/06
Despite technical and story deficiencies, this is a film that's as well intentioned as its complex central figure.
04/05/06
A sturdy, thought-provoking, and clever fable about Iran and the universal struggle to survive.
03/30/06
Mohammad Rasoulof's heartfelt and darkly comic second feature proves beyond any doubt that Iranian film is still alive and well.
03/31/06
Conflicts, contrasts and apparent paradoxes lap away under the surface, beautifully shot by cinematographer Reza Jallali . . . Iron Island has an eerie, elemental beauty.
07/13/06
Rasoulof's vision of people in a perpetual state of migration acknowledges the struggle of minorities left to their own devices and their self-devouring instinct in times of crisis.
12/10/05
A powerful political allegory.
04/19/06
Top CriticDepending on one's mood, the movie might seem boldly simplified and poetic -- or boringly simpleminded and prosaic.
03/28/06
Top CriticA lyrical tale told with compassion about a group of dispossessed Iranians who form a community aboard a decaying oil tanker.
03/21/06
Iran's recent growlings under its new president make such a film as Iron Island all the more remarkable.
04/21/06
Top CriticA derelict oil tanker, anchored somewhere in the Persian Gulf, has become the sinking home of squatters in this allegorical feature directed by Mohammad Rasoulof.
03/28/06
Top CriticThe graceful film by Mohammad Rasoulof balances the residents' humdrum daily lives with magical, dreamlike moments that provide hope where hope often has no place.
05/26/06
A captivating socio-political allegory with the air of satire as well as fable, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof's Iron Island has an Orwellian sting.
07/21/06
Although 'Iron Island' begs for interpretation, for assigning a meaning, such a goal tantalizes but never quite gels.
03/24/06
Writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof's feel for his characters' plight, his eye for telling detail and his warm touches of humor infuse this crisply told tale with an eloquent vigor.
09/18/05
This is what cinema is about. Taking the viewer into a completely alien world and trying to make some sense out of it.
04/06/06
'Iron Island' provides no comforting answers, choosing instead to remain ambiguous...
05/23/06
Like the great Iranian filmmakers, Rasoulof has no use for the artificiality of heightened drama. He opts, instead, for a more universal humanism, which is a better teaching tool.
08/25/06
Top CriticA more knowledgeable person could explain how Rasoulof's vision of Arabia in miniature reflects the personality of chronically divided people, but Iron Island should also ring true to anyone who's ever attended a committee meeting.
03/30/06
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