Secret Ballot is too contemplative to be really funny.
Comment
08/23/02
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Secret Ballot (2002)
82
%
Tomatometer
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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.
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... [More]
Starring: Nassim Abdi, Cyrus Ab, Youssef Habashi, Farrokh Sho
Director: Babak Payami
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Reviews for Secret Ballot
Top CriticClick to read the article
08/17/02
In a movie full of surprises, the biggest is that Secret Ballot is a comedy, both gentle and biting.
08/16/02
Secret Ballot charms with its amalgam of absurdity, optimism, humor, and avuncular regard for the million small daily chores, rituals, suspicions, and courtesies of dwellers on even the sparsest spots on earth.
08/16/02
Top Critic... a mosaic that adds a shot of offbeat comedy to the lyrical grace of Iran's serene cinema.
08/15/02
Babak Payami's surreal, episodic road comedy holds our attention to alternating degrees, hamstrung by the flat-footedness of his two leads.
08/09/02
Top CriticSamuel Beckett applied to the Iranian voting process.
08/09/02
If you don't have a measure of patience, you will be longing for rescue from this isle long before the credits roll.
08/09/02
Clever but slow.
08/09/02
Top CriticWill amuse and provoke adventurous adults in specialty venues.
08/09/02
Top CriticToo slow, too long and too little happens.
08/08/02
It's a strong testament to the power of the individual to make a difference, not necessarily through the popular vote, but through the simple act of communication.
08/08/02
A playful Iranian parable about openness, particularly the need for people of diverse political perspectives to get along despite their ideological differences.
08/08/02
[A] wonderfully loopy tale of love, longing, and voting.
08/08/02
There are a few stabs at absurdist comedy ... but mostly the humor is of the sweet, gentle and occasionally cloying kind that has become an Iranian specialty.
08/08/02
Top CriticFunny, provocative, well-paced and leaves a memorable bittersweet aftertaste.
08/08/02
Top CriticSome of the longest takes in the history of cinema, and a precious bit of ethnographic essence for moviegoers who can appreciate political irony for its own sake.
08/08/02
Top CriticPayami uses an exquisitely delicate juxtaposition of long shots and close-ups, mobility and stillness, music and found sound, comedy and pathos to suggest both the longing for self-expression and communication, and its limits in a repressive society.
08/08/02
It may not be the most immediate or attention-grabbing work, but there's certainly something satisfying in its thoughtfulness.
08/07/02
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