Review by: Andra-Ioana Curutiu

The Short:

The movie is about Isaac Amin (Adrien Brody), a wealthy Jewish businessman, who is arrested by the Revolutionary Guards in the midst of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and faces torture for multiple days because of his ties with the Iranian royal family. Isaac is eventually set free after donating his life savings to the new Islamic regime, but he must now embark on a dangerous journey to flee the country with his wife Farnaz (Salma Hayek) and their daughter, Shirin (Ariana Molkara). Will they make it or not?

The Long:

The movie is dedicated to all those families in the world who have endured persecution. Starring Adrien Brody (as Isaac Amin) and Salma Hayek (as Farnaz), the movie Septembers of Shiraz gives insight into the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the impact it had on the country’s society at the time. The movie, produced amongst others, by Gerard Butler, follows the story of Isaac Amin, a wealthy Jewish businessman residing in Iran with his wife, Farnaz, and their daughter, Shirin (Ariana Molkara). In the midst of the Iranian Revolution, Isaac is arrested by the Revolutionary Guards because of his ties with the Iranian royal family and tortured in prison for multiple days. He eventually decides to give up his life savings to the new Islamic regime in exchange for freedom and being reunited with his family. But will they be able to make it out of the country where they have peacefully lived for decades? Watch and see.

To watch or not to watch:

The movie is based on the novel with the same title by Dalia Sofer and draws inspiration from her real-life story. Born in 1972 in Tehran, the capital of Iran, Sofer comes from a Jewish family and was raised in the country during the revolutionary period. Her father, an electrical engineer, was imprisoned and tortured by the Islamic government and two years later, the family escaped the country and settled in New York City.

Practical Note: Shiraz is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of the Fars Province, historically known as Pars (پارس, Pārs) and Persis. However, the movie could not be shot in Shiraz for political reasons, and instead, was shot in Bulgaria.