“A film that is simultaneously compassionate and cruel. Compassionate in that here is a woman who only wants for her son and herself to have a chance and cruel that her circumstances make it impossible. It’s so enraging and heartbreaking.”
“The fact that this film exists at all is a marvel as well. Mohammadi has been targeted by the Iranian government, banned from making films, and was even in prison for two years. The authorities want to quiet Iranian voices and stories so that means we need to support them and lift them up.”
Original Sin
“This is the first-feature from Iranian documentary filmmaker, Mahnaz Mohammadi, written by veteran dissident filmmaker, Mohammad Rasoulof. And it’s an artful example of the Iranian mixture of documentary-style realism and artful allegory.”
“This trenchant parable of life under a totalitarian theocracy gains real poetic power.”
Variety
A government-imposed lifetime filmmaking ban doesn’t stop Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof from creating a powerful moral case against the country’s death penalty.
The Hollywood Reporter
Mohammadi is a nuanced director whose passion for social issues recalls that of Rakshan Bani-Etemad. She brings a top-notch technical team to the film, led by cinematographer Ashkan Ashkani, who approaches common situations like lighting the gloomy institute or a dream sequence with creative atmosphere.