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The President

Play trailer Poster for The President 2014 1h 58m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A brutal dictator comes face to face with the injustices committed by his regime when his country is taken over by revolutionists.

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The President

Critics Reviews

View All (24) Critics Reviews
Steve Greene indieWire Even though The President lacks some of the subtlety that made Makhmalbaf's previous work transcendent, this film is still a worthy testament to a fiery storyteller determined to use the medium as a necessary means of subversion. Rated: B+ Jan 1, 2017 Full Review Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times Although Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf says "The President" was inspired by the turbulent events of the Arab Spring, there's also a timeless quality to this absorbing and powerful fable that provides added resonance. Jul 21, 2016 Full Review Michael Nordine Village Voice Makhmalbaf makes you feel the enormity of the President's loss of self even if you don't actually feel for him. Jul 21, 2016 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Plays like an obvious sermon about authoritarianism and the bitter fallacy of revenge. Rated: 2.5/5 Sep 5, 2019 Full Review Camilla Long Sunday Times (UK) If you want to know how Saddam Hussein went from a golden palace to a dirty hole, how Colonel Gaddafi might have looked at his death, give it a go. Rated: 3/5 Mar 1, 2019 Full Review Armond White National Review Its story of a despot (Mikheil Gomiashvili)...who escapes his country's...capital city...with his cosseted grandson (Dachi Orvelashvili) in tow...looks at brotherhood by satirizing the highhanded excesses of nationhood. Jun 16, 2016 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (7) audience reviews
thomas a Funny and poignant theme, but the way the script writer(s) refused to name the country where this occurred was very annoying to me. I know this is fictitious story, but due to the fact that I majored in International Studies, I don't like the "real-life feeling" of the story without having a real-life country for my mind to grasp. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent. Very timely, given the election in the US. It's not easy being human. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member About as perfect - writing, acting, directing - as it gets. Even the 2 big scenes which are not shown on the screen, will form & stick in your your memory like a bur. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Great movie - powerful and moving. The kid is fantastic. Beautifully shot, stunning locations. A fantastic movie by the Iranian master, MAKHMALBAF. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent performance from the young grandson in a whirlwind journey of being on the run and lightly addressing the morality of dictatorship and humanity. Very well made film but leave some things unfulfilled. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member A deposed dictator and his grandson on the run after a revolution. He gradually begins to understand some of the effect his rule has had on the people as reflected in the fairy tale he tells his grandson as they try to fall asleep in a barn: "Once upon a time, there was a President who had a very bad temper. One day the President's family went to the airport. They had to fly far, far away. The President's grandson didn't want to go with his family so he stayed with his grandfather." That's about as far as he got before the grandson declared that he doesn't like that story. The movie becomes rather didactic at the end, undermining the potential of the movie. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The President

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Cast & Crew

The Caiman 38% 61% The Caiman Watchlist Len and Company 70% 56% Len and Company Watchlist TRAILER for Len and Company Ponette 92% 91% Ponette Watchlist Bangistan 33% 18% Bangistan Watchlist Quitters 38% 55% Quitters Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A brutal dictator comes face to face with the injustices committed by his regime when his country is taken over by revolutionists.
Director
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Producer
Mike Downey, David Grumbach, Vladimer Katcharava, Sam Taylor
Screenwriter
Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Marziyeh Meshkiny
Production Co
Film and Music Entertainment, 20 Steps Productions, Creativity Capital, Bac Films, Makhmalbaf Film House
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
Georgian
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2017
Runtime
1h 58m
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