The Gardener

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Audience Member Like other films by this filmmaker (Mohsen Makhmalbaf), the photography is fabulous. I really enjoyed the scenes of the city of Haifa toward the beginning of the film, and there was some beautiful scenes in the gardens surrounding the Baha'i Center, as well. My only real complaint about the film is that there is so much repetition. For some reason, he felt the need to film the same person saying the same thing from two or three different angles and then playing each back one after the other. Perhaps that creates a meditative feel for some. For me, it just made things move along to slowly. I would probably watch it again, though, just for the harbor scenes in Haifa. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member The film is about a father and son who travel to the gardens of the Bahá'í World Centre in Israel to find out why Bahá'ís have been persecuted and censored in Iran for so long, while debating whether religion is ultimately a cause of war or whether it can be a force for bringing about peace. The Gardener is as at least as much poetry and art as it is documentary, so its representation of, for example, the Bahá'ís, is very creative. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member A poetic, artistic, and insightful look into religion and it's role in society. The film follows the director and his son as they traverse the Baha'i Shrines in Haifa and Akka, Israel. One, an agnostic optimist about religion and it's potential power to transform society, and the other an agnostic/atheist pessimist who argues all religions start good but become corrupt and a detriment to societies advancement. The visuals were breathtaking, and although the film has a low-budget feel, it sinks in on you halfway through that this style was indeed the best way to portray a comfortable and casual look into spiritual and social concepts. The filming style leaves plenty of breaks from content for the audience to reflect on the dialogue. Those who will get most out of the film are those looking for a thought provoking and artistic look into religion. If you get bored easily from a film that doesn't have non-stop action, it isn't for you. As a Baha'i I was most impressed by the filmmaker's ability to select many excellent characteristics of the Faith to portray while not being a Baha'i himself. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Thought-provoking film from one of Iran's best and most courages filmmakers. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Hmm, I donno man. They were making a movie about this religion however they talk a lot and there's some wacky symbolism and it tries a little too hard to be arty. Also Makhmalbaf's son is talking about like not using actors and just filming people in their natural habitat but like him and Makhmalbaf are acting a lot and they got the gardeners to act a bit too. At the same token I liked it because it reminded me of my trip to Israel and when we visited the Baha'i Gardens which was an unreal experience. I also really like the idea of an agnostic film making going out of his way to make a film about religion. It's really cool of him to make this movie paid solely by himself and to put his reputation on the line, to make a movie about a religion that isn't even his own. Because he made this film if he ever goes back to Iran he will be imprisoned for 5 years no questions asked. This is also the first film, shot my an Iranian film maker in Israel. Although I had all those problems with it, it's still very contemplative and thought provoking. I'm pretty conflicted by this one guys. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The Gardener is an amateurishly and cheaply shot, edited and produced video - neither a "film" nor a documentary - that's a rambling narcissistic discussion by the Makhmalbafs. Filled with silly stunts and New Age symbolism. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Gardener

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