Popular reviews

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  Review by Chris Elena ★★★★★ 5

  I think my heart exploded with joy maybe 18 times throughout Panahi's TAXI.

  But that moment with the woman handing a rose to the audience..

  Pure magic.

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  Review by davidehrlich ★★★★½ 1

  your move, Jimmy Fallon.

  (Panahi is a fucking miracle worker. full review TK closer to the film's October 2nd release)

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  Review by matt lynch ★★★½

  Undistributable.

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  Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine ★★★½ 2

  My second Pahani (third if we count his short Hidden) and I am really digging his style, which is very evidently influenced by the neorealism and his former boss Abbas Kiarostami, with this film really feeling like his take on Ten, which from what I remember, I believe I liked that one the most.

  That’s not to say this isn’t great on its own. The whole premise in and of itself is pretty interesting and Panahi does a really good job exploiting this and bringing up all these interesting themes and discussing them, some better than others. Panahi himself makes for a great protagonist; the man looks like a very sympathetic man you’d like to be friends with (at least…

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  Review by Mike D'Angelo ★★★½ 27

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  63/100

  I no longer understand exactly what the strictures placed on Panahi amount to, given that he can apparently drive all over Tehran picking up actors. Still, given the potential for an entirely cab-set film to be even more claustrophobic than his last two, it's kind of exhilarating to see him working overtime to entertain. The first half, in particular, verges on rapid-fire sketch comedy, with a new passenger introducing a new complication every few minutes; Panahi aggressively eschews the naturalistic lulls and longueurs that Kiarostami favors in moving vehicles, keeping things sharp and snappy. Despite all the welcome showmanship, however, at its core this is yet another movie complaining (understandably) about Iranian film censorship, and the home stretch gets…

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  Review by Graham Williamson ★★★★

  I hope you understand that I'm saying this with nothing but respect for Jafar Panahi, but he is absolutely taking the piss. Since he was banned from directing he has actually become more prolific, turning out three films in four years. The first directly mocked the conditions of his sentence by being titled This Is Not a Film; the latest starts with him retiring from directing to become a cabbie. A cabbie with a lot of dashboard cameras in his cab. Cameras which capture enough footage to make a film. Still, he doesn't personally handle any of them, so the terms of his house arrest are not breached.

  There is a long and noble tradition of Iranian movies set in…

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  Review by russman ★★★½ 2

  I don't think he ever cleaned up the back seat

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  Review by nick ★★★★ 1

  You have to respect Jafar Panahi for his undying love towards the cinema, Iran and his fellow countrymen, despite the ongoing political prosecutions against him. Taxi, a witty docudrama that forms a magical contrast between the natural world and the cinema world, is naturalistic filmmaking at its finest, and is Panahi's glorious fight song.

  Despite the easy assumption that Taxi is unscripted, it's actually composed of choreographed, interlocked segments that aim to make statements. Still, the writing is top-notch enough for Taxi to pull off as a faux documentary that emotes with the audience perfectly.

  During its concise 80-minute ride that takes place entirely inside a cab, Taxi chronicles Panahi's encounters with everyday Iranians, each with a specific humane message…

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  Review by Darren Carver-Balsiger ★★★★½ 2

  An act of defiance, Taxi is brave in both its behind the scenes making (all made totally illegally and only the director is credited) and its complex, self-aware indictment of modern Iran. This is a film that blurs fact and fiction (although it is obviously mostly fictitious) because despite the embellishments, the characters all essentially play themselves. It's something Iranian auteurs like Kiarostami and Panahi have utilised before, but there's an urgency provided by Taxi's unique scenario. I feel some level of knowledge with Panahi's struggle (or at least a viewing of This is Not a Film) is probably required to understand the personal nature of Taxi, but the broad dissection of Iranian society - the censorship, the religious conservatism,…

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  Review by Catus ★★★★ 3

  To anyone reading this: here 🌹 a rose for you

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  Review by PopcornIdeology ★★★★ 2

  Something about Iranian films and cars makes me happy.

  Taxi Tehran, one of many meta films made in Iran, feels like a continuation on Kiarostami’s Ten. The story is fast paced and full of meaning, but to me it seems Panahi focuses on truth and censorship in Iranian society. Iranian directors always seem to rely on younger actors and actresses to get their messages across, whether this be because it’s easier to get pass censors or not I’m unsure, but either way it always makes the films highly allegorical and innovative. Taxi Tehran is yet another gem out of Iran that has mastered the art of subdued resistance, quite criticism, and deeply symbolic resilience against censorship.

  8.4 / 10

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  Review by Badboy ★★★★★ 2

  "They make your life a prison, they make your best friend your worst enemy."

  Jafar Panahi is an Iranian director who was banned by the Iranian government from making films. He made himself a taxi driver and put a camera in the car in which the film was filmed. He gives us an intimate Iran, funny and tender at the same time.
  A roller coaster of emotions. I felt fear, worry, anger, sadness, joy, curiosity and a range of feelings that i could never imagine.

  
  A lesson from Panahi about how to make a film with the simplest possibilities and under what circumstances.

  Iranian Cinema.