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Desert Dancer
The story takes place on a film set in Iran. It centers on Afshin and some friends who accept danger to manage an underground dance company when many cultural freedoms are forbidden, which brings meaning lessons.
23 July 1986, UK
September1982, Harlow, Essex, England, UK
17 July 1985, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK
15 October 1981, London, England, UK
May 20, 2016
Characters' brief moments of freedom are stirringly depicted in Richard Raymond's based-on-fact bio-picture, Desert Dancer.April 21, 2016
There is so little political depth and dramatic tension in the leaden script that the subversive aspect of Ritchie and Pinto's platonic partnership is almost negligible.April 10, 2015
Its depiction of the internal tensions in Iranian politics and culture is not what you'd call super-nuanced, but it is sympathetic to Iran as an entity.April 09, 2015
"Desert Dancer" explores fascinating aspects of present-day Iran but suffers mightily from simplistic and sentimental tendencies.April 10, 2015
In his feature film debut, director Richard Raymond keeps the story moving despite some dramatic cliches.August 07, 2016
Raymond might sometimes hit his beats too hard but he does keep his eye on the bigger picture.April 09, 2015
Reece Ritchie brings heart to the lead role, particularly in the decisive solo performance that caps the film. But that sequence is as expressive and alive as the rest of the supposedly movement-loving drama is static.April 22, 2016
A lifeless, contrived and remarkably unengaging rallying cry for freedom of expression and self-fulfilment in the face of adversity.April 17, 2015
There would seem to be only one thing that the act of dancing cannot free the characters in Desert Dancer from, and that's the movie they're in.April 21, 2016
It is montage heavy and toe-curlingly naive.