RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Turtles Can Fly
Turtles Can Fly

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Turtles Can Fly (2005)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
90 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:68

Fresh:61

Rotten:7

Average Rating:7.8/10

Consensus: Set in Iraq after the fall of Saddam, Turtles Can Fly is being hailed as extraordinary, moving, and lyrical.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Feb 18, 2005 Limited

Box Office: $213,047

Synopsis: "Turtles Can Fly" is the third feature from internationally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi ("A Time For Drunken Horses"). Written, directed and produced by Ghobadi, the film features of... "Turtles Can Fly" is the third feature from internationally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi ("A Time For Drunken Horses"). Written, directed and produced by Ghobadi, the film features of cast of local non-actor children. "Turtles Can Fly" is set in Ghobadi’s native Kurdistan on the eve of the American invasion of Iraq. Thirteen-year-old Soran (Soran Ebrahim) is known as “Satellite,” for his installation of dishes and antennae for local villages looking for news of Saddam. He is the dynamic leader of the children, organizing the dangerous but necessary sweeping and clearing of the minefields. He then arranges trade-ins for the unexploded mines. The industrious Satellite falls for an unlikely orphan (Avaz Latif), a sad-faced girl traveling with her brother Henkov (Hirsh Feyssal), who appears to have the gift of clairvoyance. The siblings are care-taking a three-year-old, whose connection to the pair is discovered as harsh truths are unveiled. The devastation to this land and its inhabitants is revealed in the matter-of-fact perspective of the children and is equally displayed with every poignant detail of its unbearable nature. The exquisitely haunting mountains play backdrop to violence and tragedy, but at the same time the heart and humor of the children is an undeniable force. "Turtles Can Fly" won the Golden Shell at San Sebastian and the Silver Bear at Chicago and is the Iranian entry to the Academy for 2004 Foreign Film consideration. -- © IFC Films [More]

Starring: Soran Ebrahim, Avaz Latif, Hirsh Feyssal

Starring: Soran Ebrahim, Avaz Latif, Hirsh Feyssal

Director: Bahman Ghobadi

Director: Bahman Ghobadi
Screenwriter: Bahman Ghobadi
Producer: Bahman Ghobadi
Composer: Houssein Alizadeh
Studio: IFC Films

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 5

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Nov 30, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Turtles Can Fly

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato
4/5

Ken Hanke

It's a political work, but Ghobadi's film is more in search of the common experience of humanity.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Dec., 06 2006 10:30 AM

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

tomato
5/5

Enrique Buchichio

Una película conmovedora, sugestiva y poética, donde gran parte de la convicción proviene de sus increíbles actores no profesionales.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 21 2006 02:02 PM

Uruguay Total

tomato
4/5

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 01 2006 03:44 AM

Empire Magazine

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 09 2006 03:16 AM

Time Out

tomato
B+

Dennis Schwartz

Intends to let the world know something about the Kurdish people and their suffering.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Nov., 19 2005 09:30 AM

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 26 2005 03:16 AM

AV Club

tomato

Ann Hornaday

Despite its fanciful title, Turtles Can Fly leads viewers into a slough of despond, one in which not just hope is strangled but virtually any possibility for simple human kindness.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 26 2005 03:16 AM

Washington Post

tomato

Urban Cinefile Critics

Bahman Ghobadi works best on pain and suffering; he’s passionate about filming his people (Kurds) from the inside of the society, with the focus on their miseries

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 30 2005 10:38 PM

Urban Cinefile

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 19 2005 03:15 AM

Sydney Morning Herald

tomato
9/10

Josh Ralske

Turtles Can Fly is humane, funny, and visually acute, but it never shies away from the ugliness that mars these innocent lives.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 04 2005 01:41 PM

All Movie Guide

tomato
4/4

Lawrence Toppman

One of the most heartbreaking, unforgettable dramas in years.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 08 2005 04:37 PM

Charlotte Observer

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 05 2005 06:59 PM

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

tomato

Lindy T. Shepherd

... painful, despair-filled film.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 29 2005 12:22 PM

Orlando Weekly

tomato
5/5

Roger Moore

Riveting, depressing and eye-opening, Turtles Can Fly is a movie about an Iraq that the news hasn't shown us.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 24 2005 03:36 PM

Orlando Sentinel

tomato
3/4

Turtles Can Fly is the first feature shot in Iraq after the fall of Hussein, and writer/director Ghobadi, an Iranian, melds grimly authentic settings with a peculiar type of magic realism.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 24 2005 03:35 PM

Kansas City Star

tomato
3/4

Paul Doro

Gripping and sobering stuff.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 09 2005 07:54 PM

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

tomato
3.5/5

Marjorie Baumgarten

An emotional triumph.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 04 2005 03:40 AM

Austin Chronicle

tomato
B+

Eric D. Snider

We realize how pitiful the situation is, how hopeless and desperate life has become for these people. No matter what we thought about Iraq, we see things a little differently.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 26 2005 10:34 PM

EricDSnider.com

tomato
'3.5/4'

John Beifuss

A welcome, even essential adjustment to the images of Iraq seen in daily news reports.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 20 2005 07:48 AM

Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

tomato
3.5/4

Sean Means

Director Bahman Ghobadi takes us into the day-to-day despair of youngsters pinned down by war and poverty.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 13 2005 12:57 PM

Salt Lake Tribune

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
66% 66% Public Enemies
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
75% 75% Julie & Julia
32% 32% Terminator Salvation

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
90% 90% District 9
86% 86% 500 Days of Summer
63% 63% Extract
06% 06% All About Steve
78% 78% It Might Get Loud

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

New clips from the detective reboot!

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

Watch the brand new trailer now!

Awards Tour

Awards Tour

Keep up with latest nominations and awards!

Did you see Avatar?

Did you see Avatar?

Rate/Review the film on RT now!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Danny Trejo Talks Machete, Possible Sequels Source: Collider.com
2
  • It's Official: Jackass 3-D Coming in 2010 Source: Collider.com
15
  • Bryan Singer Returning to X-Men for First Class Source: Superhero Hype
102
  • Mark Strong Talks Kick-Ass, John Carter, and Robin Hood Source: Collider.com
1
  • How Avatar Happened: The Path to Innovation Source: CinemaBlend.com
19
  • Rob Marshall Says Pirates 4 Is Still a Maybe Source: ComingSoon.net
32
  • ET Teases Iron Man 2 Teaser Source: Collider.com
28
  • Tobey Maguire Refutes Hobbit Rumors Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
  • Prince of Persia Featurette Posted Source: Yahoo! Movies
4
  • Trailer Bulletin: Robin Hood Source: ComingSoon.net
61
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Critics Consensus: Avatar Is Certified Fresh
306
  • Awards Tour 2009: Golden Globe Noms Here!
145
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar Soars to #1 Spot
135
  • Total Recall: James Cameron Movies
88
  • Brittany Murphy: 1977-2009
70
  • Awards Tour 2009: Inglourious Basterds Lead Critics Choice Noms
44
  • Awards Tour 2009: SAG Nominations Are In!
41
  • Awards Tour 2009: Avatar Best Picture at NYFCO!
38
  • Weekly Ketchup: Bryan Singer Teaches X-Men: First Class
36
  • Friday Harvest: Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, and more!
14
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
21
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
24
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
29
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Turtles Can Fly at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Turtles Can Fly at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
MSN's Year in Review
MSN's Year in Review External Link

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

Moviefone's Year End Poll
Moviefone's Year End Poll External Link

What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!

Tarantino's Characters
Tarantino's Characters External Link

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

Top 10 Movies of 2009
Top 10 Movies of 2009 External Link

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Top 20 of the Decade
Top 20 of the Decade External Link

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.