Manuscripts Don't Burn

2013

2h 5m

Drama

List

93%

Tomatometer

27 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Two Iranian agents go to extreme lengths to find a banned manuscript that details their government's failed attempt to murder 21 writers.

Critics Consensus

Brave, challenging, and brimming with rage, Manuscripts Don't Burn is a political statement as much as it is a gripping thriller.

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Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

The result asserts the two-headed truism: Artists in many countries will always find grim, sometimes deadly opposition, and those same artists will continue to risk everything to remain alive inside.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 12, 2015

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

The results are challenging and alarming; the film-making brave and defiant.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 14, 2014

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Rasoulof constructs a vivid portrait of a paranoid state, but he also manages to incorporate some fingernail-endangering tension into the piece.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 12, 2014

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Iranian filmmakers have a history of couching their criticisms of life in Iran in metaphor. This film puts its portrait of authoritarian oppression out in the open.

Oct 6, 2017

Full Review

Richard Porton

Cinema Scope

Unlike most thrillers, political or otherwise, there isn't a satisfyingly cathartic conclusion to Manuscripts Don't Burn.

Oct 3, 2017

Full Review

Padraic McKiernan

Sunday Independent (Ireland)

A searing indictment of the current regime in Iran, this daring and brave piece deserves as wide an audience as possible.

May 31, 2016

Full Review

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Audience Member

A very interesting movie, focusing on the censorship office and two of its officers who are trying to get manuscripts from writers who are deemed essentially enemies of the state. That the movie was actually shot in Iran makes it even more interesting.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Iranian film about the strong censorship that occurs in the country, prohibiting intellectual disperse their ideas with threats and murders. Good performances. A film made in cyan with gray and drab weather. The film errs by being too long.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the best movies of 2014. don't miss it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Nail-biting and gut wrenching !!...The instruments of control in a totalitarian state......and the dangers to society of masquerading behind "national safety" to propagate tyranny

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A remarkable film, especially given the constraints under which it was made. See it if you can.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Not only an angry film, but a brave one - apparently based on the murder of writers opposed to the Iranian regime. Chilling stuff!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

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Mohammad Rasoulof

Director

Mohammad Rasoulof

Screenwriter

Mohammad Rasoulof

Producer

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Synopsis

Two Iranian agents go to extreme lengths to find a banned manuscript that details their government's failed attempt to murder 21 writers.

Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Producer: Mohammad Rasoulof
Screenwriter: Mohammad Rasoulof
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 26, 2015
Runtime: 2h 5m