Boring

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Sorry for my bad English, this movie is a super master piece luxury filmed in scope in Iran (I can't understand how they did it), about repressed people who want to make a techno pop concert in Teheran. the movie is incredibly sad but no boring at all. How could they film such a "transgressive" movie in the same country with that bizarre, boring and unpresentable president and goberment is a mystery for us.Iran is a completely different example of what we think as "moshlim" country. People there have been always the best cultured and intellectual people in the region and this movie shows perfectly the anguish they are suffering after the tiranic dictature of this crazy clown, who rules him in such a despotic way.Then I want to know...was this movie filmed in Iran? How they did it?

An independent Iranian film about Tehran's underground forbidden pop-rock scene directed by Bahman Ghobadi. The movie follows young indie-rock artists Ashklan & Negar (played by Ashkan Kooshanejad and Negar Saghaghi respectively) in their quest to get passports, visas and the band members necessary to travel overseas and perform in Nice, and the work of their passionate cheeky "agent" Nader (played by Hamed Behdad).The film showcases the musical talent and variety of styles of the pop-rock scene in Iran, and their struggle to create, practice, and perform in a country that considers that sort of music an anti-Islamic anti-Iranian activity. The movie is fresh and shows how Music has no boundaries, has an international language, serves to free the spirit and mind, catalyzes discontent and express individualism - Music as a subversive peaceful movement. The bands and performers featured in the film, beyond the leading couple, are: Take It Easy Hospital, Rana Farhan, Hichkas, The Yellow Dogs Band, Shervin Najafian, Ash Koosha, Mirza, The Free Keys, Mahdyar Aghajani, Darkoob, Hamed Seyed Javadi, and Nik Aein Band.The performance of each song is accompanied by a selection of randomly filmed shots of the streets of Tehran, which provide the viewer with a real view of the country - one that is not complacent or hedonistic, but warm and hard at the same time. Four moments deserve a special mention. The first one is the performance of a heavy-metal band in a cow shed, with the cows attending the performance, which I found very funny. The second moment is truly special, and revolves about the lessons that a volunteer musician gives to a group of foreign immigrant children; thy seem enthralled and moved by what they are hearing and their faces show that. The most daring and authentically revolutionary performance comes from rapper Rap Khon, with offers a great performance with raw and heartfelt lyrics. Finally, the performance of jazz-blues soloist Rana Farhan, who has an exquisite voice and world-class talent.Among the acting moments, I found Hamed's discussion with the police officer after his detention hilarious! The main problem with the movie is the poor acting abilities of the musicians playing actors, which could have been excused if the script was less simplistic and the story had contextualized its characters. For example, we don't know if they are posh rich kids or middle class kids, we don't know if they are students, workers, live with their parents, are married or engaged, what are the feelings of their family and friends about their music. They are left to scattered comments that, nevertheless, don't show the reality of the musicians in Iran when they are not composing of playing. In fact, the relationship between the leading couple is not even clearly established; they seem to be engaged, but we are not told. The musicians in the movie seem to live in a world where nothing but music matters, which can be true for musicians, but this type of music is forbidden in Iran,and society is very oppressive, so we just want to know more about their situation and real lives so we can understand the musicians better. Moreover, the girls wear a head scarf all the time, even in secret alternative concerts and parties where they drink and smoke. How does a woman fit in the underground musical scene in Iran is never explained. Nagar seems to be accessory to Ashkan and her relations with the other musicians are always through Ashkan, never direct or even warm.The second problem, to me, is that the movie, despite its freshness and charm, feels more like a documentary, but it is not. I would have preferred the latter, as we would have seem mostly the same people and the same performances and avoid the weaknesses of the script. We love the characters since we meet them for what they are, so why force them to act when they can't? By the way, I couldn't see this movie without remembering the music-black market in the animation movie Persepolis, which puts into a context how things got so far in Iran regarding music. The context that was missing from this movie.A charming fresh and interesting film with great musical performances, but with a poor script.

It is easy to become complacent and apathetic about the power of artistic expression in a pop culture soaked world such as our own. Director Bahman Ghobadi is a member of the third generation of Iranian New Wave cinema which is an important force in the cultural climate of the country. Far from being purely a commercial entity, Iranian cinema has become the main medium through which Iranians can access modernity and formulate a national identity outside proscriptive religious values. No One Knows About Persian Cats does not end optimistically and represents a generation of disenfranchised youth and talent. Many aspire to leave Iran, as, at present, this is their only option to achieve their artistic goals, but what the film does prove is that art, culture and music can thrive even under the most hostile of circumstances. SR

I must begin my review that the film's title is absolutely appropriate to the entire story. It's sad to know how talented people in Iran are forced to shelter their love for music and film. Throughout the film Negar and her band make various efforts to embark overseas in order to showcase their musical genius. This film clearly shows how anyone and everyone who is Iranian are looking for freedom outside Iran (even if they are blind). Iran not only restricts your talent but also your vision.What I liked the most about the entire film-making is that sad and negative characters such as police and Islamic police were covered away from the screen which was not visual. Hence this film is in a clear war with the negative energy that lurks in Iran, which in all its free creative power pushes away the sinners (in this case the police or the Islamic police).The film's soundtrack is excellent and worth listening to. The soundtrack covers all the genres from Rock to R&B. If you are a lover of international independent art film production, then you will appreciate all the hard work put in by the films cast and crew.PS. I watched this film in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and I was all alone in the cinema.My score: 9 out of 10Neeil Bhatia