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Secret Ballot

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Secret Ballot (2002)

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Reviews Counted:57

Fresh:47

Rotten:10

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: A moderately funny comedy that will reward patient viewers.

Rated: G

Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Aug 9, 2002 Limited

Synopsis: Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Babak Payami (ONE MORE DAY) looks at the problems of bringing democracy to Iran in this political and cultural satire, which could almost be called "neo-surrealist" in... Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Babak Payami (ONE MORE DAY) looks at the problems of bringing democracy to Iran in this political and cultural satire, which could almost be called "neo-surrealist" in tone. The film begins with a ballot box being dropped from an airplane onto a desert island off the coast of Iran, terrifying a soldier stationed there who thinks it's a bomb. Another soldier (Cyris Abidi) has orders to accompany the arriving agent who will collect the votes, and he's shocked to realize his charge is an educated, freethinking young woman (Nassim Abidi) from the city. During their long, argumentative day together, the pair run up against all sorts of reactions to this strange new electoral procedure, from fear, to jubilation, to utter indifference. Payami, working from an idea by Moshen Makhmalbaf (KANDAHAR), lets the action unfold in long takes, allowing Abidi to develop her character as more than just a symbol of progress as she patiently deals with the suspicious (and occasionally overexcited) island populace. A cautiously hopeful tale of democracy entering a restrictive society, SECRET BALLOT also serves as a sly commentary on the unconquerable cultural divide between Western and Middle-Eastern ways of thinking. [More]

Starring: Nassim Abdi, Cyrus Ab, Youssef Habashi, Farrokh Sho

Starring: Nassim Abdi, Cyrus Ab, Youssef Habashi, Farrokh Sho, Gholbahar Janghali

Director: Babak Payami

Director: Babak Payami
Screenwriter: Babak Karimi
Producer: Babak Payami, Marco Muller
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jan 7, 2003

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Reviews for Secret Ballot

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
07/04/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Long, still vistas . . . nicely surreal . . . some hard questions about faith and democracy, law and lawlessness, acting for the common good.

Full Review Source: Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada) | comment Comment
12/01/03
Brian Gibson
Brian Gibson
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

The sophistication of the Western democratic machinery seems absurd and its elaborate schemes for representation unreal by comparison.

Full Review Source: FilmFestivals.com | comment Comment
08/01/03
Moira Sullivan
Moira Sullivan
FilmFestivals.com

Interessante filme que mostra a realidade política e social no Irã, o autoritarismo com relação às mulheres e as contradições de um país governado pela religiosidade.

comment Comment
07/25/03
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/14/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

As in practically all Iranian films the cast here is made up of nonprofessionals, and they do themselves a good turn as genuine and marvelously well-conceived characters.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/15/03
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A solid, well-formed satire.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
01/06/03
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

Slow, simple, quiet and intriguing. Payami investigates possibilities, and his curiosity carries us along.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
11/05/02
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

'...[A] contemplation of the significance, absurdities and/or insignificance of the electoral process...[however] Payami gets his point across long before the film ends, with a message that can’t help but hit us over the head...'

Full Review Source: Metro Times (Detroit, MI) | comment Comment
10/16/02
Anita Schmaltz
Anita Schmaltz
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
10/11/02
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The locations go from stark desert to gorgeous beaches. The story plays out slowly, but the characters are intriguing and realistic.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
10/11/02
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/04/02
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/02/02
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A real winner -- smart, funny, subtle, and resonant.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
09/22/02
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Secret Ballot is a funny, puzzling movie ambiguous enough to be engaging and oddly moving.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
09/20/02
Kim Morgan
Kim Morgan
Oregonian
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
09/17/02
FilmFour.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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