Iron Island
Kino International | Release Date: March 31, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Director Mohammad Rasoulof has fashioned the ultimate metaphor for a society adrift from its culture. Read full review
91
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
All in all, a harrowing, one-of-a-kind movie. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Mohammad Rasoulof's heartfelt and darkly comic second feature proves beyond any doubt that Iranian film is still alive and well, despite waning Western interest in one of the world's richest contemporary cinemas. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A powerful symbolic drama. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Richly detailed -- and improbably entertaining.
80
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
A thrilling example of the cunning political allegory woven into vivid concretism that invigorates contemporary Iranian cinema, Mohammad Rasoulof's Iron Island takes as its monumental central image a sinking ship, symbol of decaying autocracy and the faint hope of liberation. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
This is not a typical Iranian production. Simultaneously deeply allegorical and concretely physical, this striking film is not a typical production, period. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
Iron Island is at its most compelling early, as Rasoulof explores his human-scaled ant farm, detailing how people make lives for themselves in cramped quarters, using cardboard partitions and jerry-rigged appliances. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Sparse of plot, Iron Island is visually rich, thanks to cinematographer Reza Jalai. The final scene is especially stunning. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
A potent social allegory told with humor and mystery. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Like the great Iranian filmmakers, Rasoulof has no use for the artificiality of heightened drama. Read full review
70
The New York TimesDave Kehr
Less consumed by behavioral details than many of his filmmaking compatriots, Mr. Rasoulof makes bold use of symbolic imagery - a satellite television is confiscated and tossed overboard - suggesting that utopias inevitably come at the price of isolation and authoritarianism. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterRichard James Havis
Stalwart Iranian actor Ali Nasirian plays Nemat with a thoughtful hubris, uniting the various plot strands by force of character. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
A fascinating allegory of modern-day Iran. Read full review
60
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
Well-photographed and adequately directed and acted, Iron Island is (painless) propaganda, informing us about domestic peace and goodwill. And this film, too, leaves us with a question: why does the currently aggressive Iran want the world, especially our chunk of it, to see what it is "really" like? Read full review
50
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Depending on one's mood, the movie might seem boldly simplified and poetic--or boringly simpleminded and prosaic. Read full review
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