At Five in the Afternoon

A classic festival film that works better in a film club venue or at a specialized festival rather than on a television screen as a way to fill free time for entertainment. Like most films from the Middle East and Central Asia, this drama is not based on an interesting plot, but rather on the exotic setting and atmosphere of absurdity provided by a different culture, standards, and values. Additionally, in its field, it can serve as self-awareness for women and support for their social status. The main protagonist dreams of better education and self-realization, even considering the idea of obtaining a high position in government administration. Her father is a typical uneducated religious fanatic and the country is torn apart by civil war, so any attempts at social advancement are truly just an illusion. It's not about the story here, but rather a series of sometimes impressive scenes, like when the heroine looks for water in a bullet-riddled gigantic palace and the viewer listens to the drops of water falling and experiences the tension of whether she will step on a landmine or will get lucky again. Overall impression: 55%. (14.05.2011)

It's not a bad movie. When I saw its confident and young director at the Karlovy Vary festival, I thought that she still had a career ahead of her, but this movie lacks a stronger plotline. Life in Iran is depicted realistically, but it's not a documentary film. There is something to work on, great potential. (10.07.2004)