Septembers of Shiraz
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWayne Blair
Written byHanna Weg
Based onThe Septembers of Shiraz
by Dalia Sofer
Produced byGerard Butler
Danielle Robinson
Alan Siegel
Hanna Weg
StarringAdrien Brody
Salma Hayek
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Anthony Azizi
Bashar Rahal
Alon Aboutboul
CinematographyWarwick Thornton
Edited byJohn Scott
Music byMark Isham
Production
companies
Distributed byMomentum Pictures
Release dates
  • September 15, 2015 (2015-09-15) (TIFF)
  • June 24, 2016 (2016-06-24) (United States)
Running time
109 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Septembers of Shiraz is a 2015 American drama film directed by Wayne Blair and written by Hanna Weg. It is based on the 2007 novel The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer. The film stars Adrien Brody, Salma Hayek, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Anthony Azizi, Bashar Rahal and Alon Aboutboul. The film was released on June 24, 2016, by Momentum Pictures.

Plot

During the first months after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, wealthy Jewish Iranian gemologist Isaac Amin is suddenly arrested at his office in Tehran by the Revolutionary Guards who take him to prison.

During his prison days, Isaac meets fellow prisoners of different backgrounds, who are tortured and finally prosecuted. In interrogation sessions, his interrogator Mohsen, once torturing him with a lit cigarette and having him lashed, refers to the injustice of being affluent and to the justice that the revolution is bringing to the oppressed.

After the guards scare him by putting him before a firing squad and shooting around his body, he says to Mohsen that he is ready to pay all his savings to the new Islamic regime in order to have a chance at freedom. After emptying his bank account, Mohsen declares him free and leaves him alone in the street.

Isaac goes to his office, now deserted, and recovers a hidden pack of diamonds from behind a brick in the wall. As he prepares to leave, he sees Morteza, a former employee of the office and son of their housekeeper Habibeh. He had already directed the stealing of Isaac's gems and office equipment, wandering in the corridor.

Morteza asks for more and shows Isaac a letter of compliment that Shahbanu had written to him, as blackmail. Isaac tells him that he is now a contributor to the revolution and can eliminate Morteza with a single phone call. Morteza leaves.

Isaac is referred to a human smuggler and pays him in diamonds worth over 150,000 to smuggle them out of Iran. In the meantime, Morteza gives the letter to Mohsen at a Revolutionary Guards office but is himself arrested for earlier stealing the stones from Amin´s premises.

The Amin family start their treacherous journey at dawn the next morning. First, Isaac bypasses a checkpoint, getting chased on motorcycle and shakes the last by braking hard so the rider crashes his bike into the bumper so he flies headfirst over the car. At the rendezvous, they are driven in their Mercedes until they change to an old pickup through a rough road.

Now night, they go on horseback and through the forest to the border, but are stopped by a crew alerted by Morteza. They ring Mohsen, who tells the rebels to let the Amins go. When alone, he reflects over the letter and burns it. Isaac and his family make it over the border to Turkey.

Cast

Production

On February 7, 2014, Salma Hayek and Shohreh Aghdashloo joined the cast.[3] On April 9, 2014, Adrien Brody joined the cast.[2] Principal photography began on June 9, 2014.[4] The film was shot in Bulgaria.[5]

Release

The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival on September 15, 2015.[1] It was selected as the opening night film for the San Diego International Film Festival on September 30, 2015.[6] The film was released on June 24, 2016, by Momentum Pictures.[7]

Reception

Septembers of Shiraz received middling to negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 31%, based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 4.20/10.[8] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 16 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating overwhelming dislike.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "'Septembers of Shiraz': TIFF Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  2. 1 2 Fleming, Mike. "'Septembers Of Shiraz' Movie Greenlighted With Adrien Brody Aboard". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  3. 1 2 3 "Berlin: Salma Hayek, Shohreh Aghdashloo to Star in 'The Septembers of Shiraz' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  4. ↑ "On The Set For 6/9/14: The Septembers of Shiraz Starts, Jennifer Aniston Starrer 'Cake' Wraps". Studiosystemnews.com. 2014-06-09. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  5. ↑ Jake Wilson (2016-07-06). "Septembers of Shiraz review: The Iranian revolution as American melodrama". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  6. ↑ Holmes, Mannie (2015-09-15). "San Diego Film Festival to Open with Adrien Brody's 'Septembers of Shiraz'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  7. 1 2 "Septembers of Shiraz Reviews". Metacritic. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  8. ↑ "Enemy Territory (Septembers of Shiraz) (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
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