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critics consensus

Desert Dancer never finds an agreeable rhythm, resulting in a musical drama that doesn't deliver on the promised spectacle or political commentary. Read critic reviews

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Desert Dancer Photos

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Movie Info

In the volatile political and social climate of 2009 Tehran, Afshin Ghaffarian (Reece Ritchie) and a group of dancers start a secret dance company in the Iranian desert, far from the prying eyes of the government police. Along with a woman named Elaheh (Freida Pinto) who helps them refine their skills, Afshin and his company use what little Internet they can access to learn moves from banned videos starring legends like Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev.
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (Violence|Thematic Elements|Some Drug Material)
  • Genre:
    drama
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Richard Raymond
  • Producer:
    Pippa Cross, Fabiola Beracasa, Izabella Miko, Luis Astorquia
  • Writer:
    Jon Croker
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $153.5K
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Star Land kpc, Rostik Investment Group, BluePencilSet, 6Sales, May 13 Films, Lipsync Productions, Relativity, Sarah Arison Productions, Greene Light Films

Cast & Crew

Freida Pinto
Elaheh
Reece Ritchie
Afshin Ghaffarian
Tom Cullen
Ardavan
Nazanin Boniadi
Parisa Ghaffarian
Makram J. Khoury
Mehdi
Marama Corlett
Mona
Bamshad Abedi-Amin
Mehran
Daniel Bass
Bijan
Neet Mohan
Naser
Sam Kordbacheh
Cyrus
Richard Raymond
Director
Jon Croker
Screenwriter
Pippa Cross
Producer
Fabiola Beracasa
Producer
Izabella Miko
Producer
Luis Astorquia
Producer
Sarah Arison
Executive Producer
Ryan Kavanaugh
Executive Producer
Tucker Tooley
Executive Producer
Jason Beckman
Executive Producer
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News & Interviews for Desert Dancer

Critics Consensus: The Longest Ride Is a Bumpy Journey
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Critic Reviews for Desert Dancer

All Critics (44) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (30)

  • It is montage heavy and toe-curlingly naive.

    April 21, 2016 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

    Wendy Ide

    Guardian

  • It strives to be a rousing tale of rebellion, but the over-earnest result is more slow shuffle than kicky capoeira.

    April 21, 2016 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

    Nick De Semlyen

    Empire Magazine

  • There would seem to be only one thing that the act of dancing cannot free the characters in Desert Dancer from, and that's the movie they're in.

    April 17, 2015 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

    Geoff Pevere

    Globe and Mail

  • Desert Dancer strays too frequently into melodrama to have much sticking power.

    April 16, 2015 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

    Linda Barnard

    Toronto Star

  • In his feature film debut, director Richard Raymond keeps the story moving despite some dramatic cliches.

    April 10, 2015 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

    Mary Houlihan

    Chicago Sun-Times

  • Its depiction of the internal tensions in Iranian politics and culture is not what you'd call super-nuanced, but it is sympathetic to Iran as an entity.

    April 10, 2015 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

    Glenn Kenny

    RogerEbert.com
View All Critic Reviews (44)

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