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Chess of the Wind

Play trailer Poster for Chess of the Wind 1976 1h 33m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Screened publicly just once before it was banned and then lost for decades, this rediscovered jewel of Iranian cinema reemerges to take its place as one of the most singular and astonishing works of the country's pre-revolution New Wave. A hypnotically stylized murder mystery awash in shivery period atmosphere, Chess of the Wind unfolds in an ornate, candlelit mansion where a web of greed, violence, and betrayal ensnares the heirs to a family fortune as they vie for control of their recently-deceased matriarch's estate. Melding the influences of European modernism, gothic horror, and classical Persian art, director Mohammad Reza Aslani crafts an exquisitely controlled mood piece that erupts in a stunningly subversive final act in which class conventions, gender roles, and even time itself are upended with shocking ferocity.
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Chess of the Wind

Critics Reviews

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David Mermelstein Wall Street Journal Sep 29, 2022
Happenstance alone saved this movie from oblivion, and how lucky we are for it—a moody tale of ugly family and class dynamics, reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe, complete with an utterly unexpected, numbing final shot. Go to Full Review
Godfrey Cheshire RogerEbert.com Oct 29, 2021
4/4
Aslani's vision is still breathtakingly distinctive, an incisively devastating social critique embedded in a complex tale of intrigue, greed, oppression, and murder. Go to Full Review
Glenn Kenny New York Times Oct 28, 2021
Aslani pulls story threads together with an elegant moving camera that doesn't immediately give up all the secrets a scene may contain. Go to Full Review
Trevor Johnston Radio Times Apr 21, 2022
4/5
An ornate Tehran mansion hosts a fateful tussle for the spoils of a late matriarch in this Iranian melodrama. Go to Full Review
Dennis Harvey 48 Hills Nov 8, 2021
Comparatively short, sharp and disciplined... Go to Full Review
Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse Dec 20, 2020
We are quite lucky that "Chess Game of the Wind" eventually reemerged, not just due to its immense quality as a movie, but also as a testament to the progressiveness of the pro-Revolution Iranian cinema. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Reyhaneh R @RT31484175 Aug 24, 2026 A unique film with stunning scenes and story. This film is a magnificent Iranian work of art. See more
Gail TheWriterStuff J @Thewriterstuff Jul 19, 2025 Slow moving buy compelling. It was a pleasure to see Shohreh Aghdashloo so young. The ending took me by surprise. See more
Alec B @Alec97 Mar 7, 2025 A beautifully shot mystery filled with erotic energy (no wonder why it was banned). Also, the story behind the loss and then rediscovery of this movie is pretty incredible. See more
Nov 9, 2021 A masterpiece with beautiful cinematography. See more
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Chess of the Wind

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Cast & Crew

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Mohammad Reza Aslani

Director

Fakhri Khorvash

Actor

Mohamad Ali Keshavarz

Actor

Akbar Zanjanpour

Actor

Shohreh Aghdashloo

Actor

Shahram Golchin

Actor

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Chess of the Wind

The Chess of the Wind (1976) The Chess of the Wind (1976) The Chess of the Wind (1976) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Screened publicly just once before it was banned and then lost for decades, this rediscovered jewel of Iranian cinema reemerges to take its place as one of the most singular and astonishing works of the country's pre-revolution New Wave. A hypnotically stylized murder mystery awash in shivery period atmosphere, Chess of the Wind unfolds in an ornate, candlelit mansion where a web of greed, violence, and betrayal ensnares the heirs to a family fortune as they vie for control of their recently-deceased matriarch's estate. Melding the influences of European modernism, gothic horror, and classical Persian art, director Mohammad Reza Aslani crafts an exquisitely controlled mood piece that erupts in a stunningly subversive final act in which class conventions, gender roles, and even time itself are upended with shocking ferocity.
Director
Mohammad Reza Aslani
Producer
Bahman Farmanara
Screenwriter
Mohammad Reza Aslani
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Persian
Runtime
1h 33m
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