Persian Lessons

Name: Persian Lessons
Genre: Drama, War
Released: June 9, 2023
Duration: 127 min
Rating: 53
Cast: Alexander Beyer, Andreas Hofer, David Schütter, Giuseppe Schillaci, Jonas Nay

2023

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Mixed or average reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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Persian Lessons (US Trailer 1)

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Movie Details & Credits

Cohen Media Group | Release Date: June 9, 2023 | Not Rated

Starring: Alexander Beyer, Andreas Hofer, David Schütter, Giuseppe Schillaci, Jonas Nay, Lars Eidinger, Leonie Benesch, Luisa-Céline Gaffron, Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Nico Ehrenteit

Summary: Occupied France, 1942. Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) is arrested by SS soldiers alongside other Jews and sent to a camp in Germany. En route to the camp, he narrowly avoids sudden execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, as one of the soldiers’ superior officers is “lookingOccupied France, 1942. Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) is arrested by SS soldiers alongside other Jews and sent to a camp in Germany. En route to the camp, he narrowly avoids sudden execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, as one of the soldiers’ superior officers is “looking for a Persian,” and has promised additional rations to the soldier who delivers. Gilles is then assigned a literal life-or-death mission: to teach Farsi to Head of Camp Koch (Lars Eidinger), who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over. Through an ingenious trick, Gilles manages to survive by inventing words of “Farsi” every day and teaching them to Koch. The unusual relationship between the two men sparks jealousy in other prisoners and particularly the SS guards towards Gilles. Meanwhile Koch’s suspicions grow every day, and Gilles struggles with the unfairness of his privileges compared to his fellow prisoners, while fighting to maintain his secret and survive.… Expand

Director: Vadim Perelman

Genre(s): Drama, War

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 127 min

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Critic Reviews

Rex Reed

Jun 20, 2023

Expertly mounted, beautifully acted and meticulously detailed, it’s another harrowing Holocaust drama in the line of endless films about World War II, notable primarily as a rare entry in the filmography of Vadim Perelman, the highly regarded director of House of Sand and Fog. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Jun 13, 2023

For Pérez Biscayart, it’s the sound equivalent of a masterful silent-film performance, and for Perelman, it’s the welcome return of an important filmmaker. Read full review

Mark Jenkins

Jun 12, 2023

Shot mostly in deeply shadowed interiors, the movie rarely makes effective use of its widescreen format. Indeed, it has a stagy quality and plays mostly as a series of theatrical exchanges between Gilles and Koch. Read full review

Michael Rechtshaffen

Jun 16, 2023

That it ultimately manages to work as effectively as it does is a credit to the firm, focused visual grip of director Perelman, best known for his Oscar-nominated 2003 drama, “House of Sand and Fog,” and, especially the impressively-rooted portrayals of the two leads. Read full review

Liam Lacey

Jun 14, 2023

Even with its decent performances and polished production values, Persian Lessons never clears the hurdle of its improbable premise, an idea that could serve as the setup for a bad-taste Mel Brooks’ sketch. Read full review

Beatrice Loayza

Jun 8, 2023

Less kooky and gratingly precious than “Jojo Rabbit” or “Life Is Beautiful,” the film nevertheless also taps history with a movie-magic wand. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Marya E. Gates

Jun 9, 2023

Though millions of Jewish people were imprisoned and killed in concentration camps during this time, this misguided drama, written by Ilya Tsofin, isn’t interested in the truth of their stories. Instead, it’s a contrived triumph of the human spirit-style narrative where the Jewish character at the center is rendered a cipher for suffering while his Nazi tormentors are unconsciously humanized. Read full review

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Lakyforever

Jun 16, 2023

way more authentic and earnest feeling, way more emotional and moving than all the superhero udying action hero movies comined.

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