The President
Corinth Films | Release Date: June 3, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
IndieWireSteve GreeneJun 9, 2016
Even though The President lacks some of the subtlety that made Makhmalbaf’s previous work transcendent, this film is still a worthy testament to a fiery storyteller determined to use the medium as a necessary means of subversion. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianMarc MohanJun 2, 2016
Inspired by uprisings in the former Soviet bloc as well as, more pointedly, the Arab Spring, Makhmalbaf serves up a surprisingly tense, sometimes poignant parable. It's good to have him back. Read full review
83
The Film StageMartin JensenJun 2, 2016
At times it may be difficult to watch, and the plot does feel episodic, but it remains powerful, challenging filmmaking. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJul 21, 2016
Although Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf says The President was inspired by the turbulent events of the Arab Spring, there’s also a timeless quality to this absorbing and powerful fable that provides added resonance. Read full review
80
CineVueJohn BleasdaleJun 2, 2016
The President has an urgent relevance to all too many countries around the world, including those touched by the Arab Spring; a darkly comic and poignant portrait of an Ozymandian fall from grace and the subsequent damage that ensues. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawJun 2, 2016
The President is a striking movie - and a bold and challenging change of directorial pace from Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJun 2, 2016
The Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf (“A Moment of Innocence,” “Kandahar”) is not known for his kineticism, but The President — which he has suggested is his comment on the Arab Spring — has surprising urgency and sweep. Read full review
60
Village VoiceMichael NordineJul 21, 2016
Makhmalbaf makes you feel the enormity of the president's loss of self even if you don't actually feel for him. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonCath ClarkeJun 2, 2016
Makhmalbaf says he was inspired by the Arab Spring, and his film is pitched somewhere between allegory and satire. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungJun 2, 2016
All this is portrayed in such elementary terms it could be the libretto of a 19th century operetta, or maybe a children’s film, were it not so disturbing. Read full review
50
VarietyJay WeissbergJun 2, 2016
An allegorical lesson about dictatorships and the cycle of violence they breed, Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s The President unfortunately offers a simplified and simplistic reduction, akin to an ancient morality tale without the ancients’ brevity – rather than sophistication cloaked in innocence, the pic feels like didacticism submerged in naivete. Read full review
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