Beautiful City

2004

1h 42m

Drama

List

92%

Tomatometer

12 Reviews

92%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

After spending two years in juvenile detention for killing his girlfriend as a teenager, the troubled, young Akbar is transferred to an adult facility shortly after turning 18. No longer a minor, his death sentence will soon be legally carried out. Meanwhile outside, Ala -- Akbar's friend and newly paroled petty thief -- along with Akbar's sister Firoozeh (played by Taraneh Alidoosti, in the first of her three collaborations with director Asghar Farhadi) set out to convince the victim's bereaved father to forgive Akbar, which could potentially reduce his sentence from death to life in prison. Navigating the complexities of Iran's judicial system together, the two form a close bond in their desperate attempts to seek clemency before it is too late.

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Joshua Katzman

Chicago Reader

[A] melancholy drama about the aftermath of a senseless murder.

Mar 30, 2006

Full Review

Frank Scheck

Hollywood Reporter

Well acted and smartly written, the film is an eye-opening sociological portrait that also manages to be a compelling human drama.

Mar 30, 2006

Full Review

Jami Bernard

New York Daily News

Here's another deeply resonant little movie from Iran, featuring more polished (yet still naturalistic) acting than usually seen in U.S. productions.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 17, 2006

Full Review

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

one of the great Iranian director’s formative works, a probing drama that hits on all of Farhadi’s favorite themes, particularly the seemingly irreconcilable conflict among flawed characters who have arguably equal claims to truth or being right

Rated: 3/4

Nov 2, 2023

Full Review

Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

Beautiful City is not a perfect film...but it’s a very interesting film that provides a glimpse at the early years of a filmmaker today acknowledged as a master of his craft.

Rated: 7/10

Oct 13, 2023

Full Review

Nora Lee Mandel

Maven's Nest

Intense universal story of love and death within societal strictures. Farhadi is observant of power of human emotions to let the story and characters unfold slowly like an onion. Each becomes more complex. (2006 review - Film Movement re-release 2022)

Rated: 10/10

Mar 12, 2022

Full Review

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Gaylord R

anyone with even a tangential interest in Iran and Islam will have his eyes opened by this true to life drama to catch a glimpse of human tragedy, love, hope, failure - an amazing film by a genial director with actors of a quality rarely seen in ordinary Hollywood fare.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/24

Full Review

david l

The Beautiful City is a solid early effort from Asghar Farhadi that features fantastic dialogue that is a staple of all Farhadi films. The performance form Taraneh Alidoosti is also terrific. The movie's melancholic tone is interesting as well. My issue here is that I could not relate to its characters and the issue at hand as it deals with helping out a murderer. The messaging was problematic to me, but getting a glimpse into the Iranian judicial system was interesting nonetheless.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Yet another remarkable Farhadi film, Beautiful City (Shahre-e Ziba) involves great loss, murder, relentless drive and hope, desperation, and extreme unspoken sacrifice. But at its heart is the idea of how do you find it in yourself to reach forgiveness for the person (Akbar) who took the life of loved one. Iran's Islamic judicial system with its notions of justice and blood money inextricably linked, creates impossible choices for the stubbornly determined characters of "Beautiful City." A crusade to win a reprieve for a young man about to be executed runs up against an adamant insistence on vengeance. But then an improbable love story develops between a now 18 year old convicted killer's sister and best friend, handled so deftly by Asghar Farhadi. Fascinating glimpse into wholly different body of laws, an engrossingly evolving script and standout performances drive this great film. Taraneh Alidoosti is excellent as struggling a single mother who has the keep up a lie that she's still married to her addict ex-husband due to social norms in Iran. She and A'la will not quit in their insistence on gaining clemency for Akbar. The way Farhadi and his cast bring to life this small community, its customs and its infuriating 'justice system' which is intrinsically wrapped up in devout religious beliefs, brings such authenticity for the audience to more fully appreciate the struggles of its people. But the other key to their collective efforts is the slowly birthed love between Firouzeh and A'la. Much credit to the young actors for such depth. 3.8 stars

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

flixster f

The title could have been better!! But the movie is outstanding. Excellent plot (reading it beforehand may be a spoiler), well paced and well told.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

interesting perspective and debate on the nature of love and forgiveness.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

What is it about Iranians that help them make such awesome films.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

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Asghar Farhadi

Director

Faramarz Gharibian

Abolqasem Rahmati

Taraneh Alidoosti

Firoozeh

Babak Ansari

A'la

Ahu Kheradmand

Abolqasem's Wife

Hossein Farzi-Zadeh

Akbar

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Synopsis

After spending two years in juvenile detention for killing his girlfriend as a teenager, the troubled, young Akbar is transferred to an adult facility shortly after turning 18. No longer a minor, his death sentence will soon be legally carried out. Meanwhile outside, Ala -- Akbar's friend and newly paroled petty thief -- along with Akbar's sister Firoozeh (played by Taraneh Alidoosti, in the first of her three collaborations with director Asghar Farhadi) set out to convince the victim's bereaved father to forgive Akbar, which could potentially reduce his sentence from death to life in prison. Navigating the complexities of Iran's judicial system together, the two form a close bond in their desperate attempts to seek clemency before it is too late.

Director: Asghar Farhadi
Producer: Iraj Taghipoor
Screenwriter: Asghar Farhadi
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: Neshane Ltd.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 13, 2023
Runtime: 1h 42m

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