Memorably simple, memorably resonant.
Comment
01/01/00
The White Balloon (1995)
80
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:20
Fresh:16
Rotten:4
Average Rating:6.8/10
Synopsis: Hours before the Iranian New Year, a seven-year-old girl begs her mother for money to buy a goldfish. The mother grudgingly relents, but, on the way to the store, the girl accidentally drops her... [More]
Starring: Aida Mohammadkhani, Moshen Kalifi, Fereshteh Sadr Orafai
Director: Jafar Panahi
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Reviews for The White Balloon
Simple yet appealing movie from Iran's burgeoning film industry.
01/01/00
Those with the patience to sit through all eighty-five minutes will uncover a sublime, unconventionally engrossing story.
01/01/00
Top CriticIn an era when ethnic hatred turns groups against each other, it is salutary to come across a film about universal qualities linking people from different cultures.
02/22/02
We need to fall in love with Razieh to see the film properly, and we do.
01/01/00
Top CriticExplores childhood on its own terms, with great respect and an unerring sense of truth.
01/01/00
Panahi has much the same kind of talent, a concern to make his film a kind of home for its characters, but he has not yet found [Kiarostami's] secret, how to find and hold the still point of the turning world.
01/01/00
Top CriticWithout it ever being said, we get to meet and deeply appreciate some of the Iranian people who never make the news.
01/01/00
[Mohammadkhani] has no screen presence and more over was about as much fun to listen to as someone scraping their fingers down a blackboard.
01/01/00
The brilliance of the film, is in its simplicity.
01/01/00
Often this movie just feels like a walk in the park with a recalcitrant child. How much can you stand to watch?
01/01/00
By putting itself in sync with the rhythms of everyday life, it offers a reminder that the simplest forms of filmmaking can be the most satisfying.
02/14/01
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05/14/03
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01/01/00
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06/27/08
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05/20/03
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01/01/00
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