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Zalava

Play trailer Poster for Zalava 2021 1h 33m Drama Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 26 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
In 1978, the inhabitants of a small village in Iran called Zalava claim there is a demon among them. Massoud, a young gendarmerie sergeant, who investigates this claim encounters an exorcist attempting to rid the village of the demon. When he arrests the exorcist on charges of fraud, the villagers fear and anger escalates. Massoud and his love interest, a government doctor, soon find themselves trapped in a cursed house, surrounded by villagers who believe they are both possessed by the demon.

Critics Reviews

View All (26) Critics Reviews
Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com [Director Arsalan Amiri] shoots his film with striking confidence, getting a lot of mileage out of strange framing, forced POV, shadows, and, yes, close-ups of a terrifying glass jar. Sep 17, 2021 Full Review Keith Uhlich Hollywood Reporter Dull and deadening, even at a brief 93 minutes. Sep 17, 2021 Full Review Alissa Simon Variety While the film can be appreciated simply as something new in Iranian genre cinema, the allegorical content is even more fascinating. Sep 15, 2021 Full Review Alex Billington FirstShowing.net Holy hell I'm glad I didn't read anything about this before, because it's a thrilling experience to discover exactly how they have crafted a brilliant Schrödinger's cat horror about a demonic force. Rated: 9/10 Dec 30, 2022 Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse With the exception of the romantic part, “Zalava” is an excellent in all aspects film, a testament to both Amiri’s prowess and the level of Iranian cinema overall. Rated: 7/10 Jul 24, 2022 Full Review Erick Estrada Cinegarage Further proof that horror isn't always delivered in jump scares... incredibly well-written. [Full review in Spanish] Jul 7, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews
Zalava

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1978, the inhabitants of a small village in Iran called Zalava claim there is a demon among them. Massoud, a young gendarmerie sergeant, who investigates this claim encounters an exorcist attempting to rid the village of the demon. When he arrests the exorcist on charges of fraud, the villagers fear and anger escalates. Massoud and his love interest, a government doctor, soon find themselves trapped in a cursed house, surrounded by villagers who believe they are both possessed by the demon.
Director
Arsalan Amiri
Producer
Samira Baradari, Rouhollah Baradari
Screenwriter
Arsalan Amiri, Tahmineh Bahram, Ida Panahandeh
Genre
Drama, Horror
Original Language
Kurdish
Runtime
1h 33m