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"A tragic love story, a fierce indictment against the Islamist regime in Tehran … a lyrical elegy replete with symbolical visions." - Screen Daily
A poet during the reign of the Shah is imprisoned as part of Iran's destructive Islamic revolution due to the petty jealousies of a driver who desires his beautiful and utterly devoted wife (Monica Bellucci, in a delicately subdued performance). Released after serving a torturous 30-year sentence, he sets out to reunite with the woman he loves.
Lavishly photographed by Touraj Aslani, Rhino Season is inspired by the travails of writer/director Bahman Ghobadi's (No One Knows About Persian Cats, MIFF 2009; Half Moon, MIFF 2007) long-time friend, Kurdish-Iranian poet Sadegh Kamangar. Lauded Iranian actor-in-exile Behrouz Vossoughi has brought Kamangar's epic struggle to life with meticulous insight and understatement.
Winner and nominee of several best cinematography awards across the international circuit, Rhino Season offers a stunning big-screen experience.
"Its lush cinematography, its dreamlike sequences, its haunting landscapes and brilliant colour dissolves are what make the viewing nothing less than hypnotic: the last scene by itself deserves an award." - Arts & Opinion
D/P/S Bahman Ghobadi Dist Madman Entertainment L Farsi, Turkish, English w/English subtitles TD DCP/2012