The Persian Version
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: October 20, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
8
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeMar 25, 2024
If the final act overdoes it a little with the wackily-ever-after feelgood vibes, Mohammadi’s flippantly acidic to-camera commentary emphasises the sharp edges within the family embrace. Read full review
60
The GuardianCath ClarkeMar 21, 2024
The Persian Version feels a bit soft focus some of the time, but it takes on real depth and force when the action hops further back, to 1960s Iran, where Shireen is a 13-year-old girl (now played by Kamand Shafieisabet). Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Roxana HadadiOct 26, 2023
When The Persian Version shifts to the film-within-the-film Leila is writing and nudges her aside to tell her mother, Shireen’s, story, Keshavarz’s feature finds its performative core and explodes into emotional vibrancy. Read full review
60
The New York TimesAmy NicholsonOct 19, 2023
The result is a personal film that feels oddly impersonal. The tonal clutter overwhelms Keshavarz’s genuinely interesting story. Read full review
58
IndieWireSamantha BergesonNov 17, 2023
It is a fun time, just one that doesn’t need so many versions packed into it. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 18, 2023
The Persian Version is an ambitious effort to suture up the rift between past and present, parent and child. But like its heroine, it also suffers from a bit of split personality. It’s a tale with too much drama for the candy-colored comedy of its telling, and too much comedy for the drama to leave much of a mark. Read full review
50
The PlaylistMarya E. GatesJan 27, 2023
There’s no denying the weight of The Persian Version’s final sequence. Yet, it’s an ending that feels rushed, both because of the sequence’s continual tonal shifts between heartfelt drama and slapstick comedy but also because Leila’s final bout of emotional maturity feels unearned. Read full review
49
Paste MagazineJacob OllerJan 27, 2023
The voiceover-heavy storytelling is exhausting and weightless, despite Keshavarz’s clear affection for and closeness to these women. Read full review
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