Circumstance

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Circumstance

R

2011

1h 45m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

77 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

An Iranian teenager (Nikohl Boosheri) enters a lesbian relationship, while her brother (Reza Sixo Safai) becomes dangerously obsessed with Islamic fundamentalism.

Critics Consensus

A thought-provoking, insightful look into Iranian youth culture.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

08/24/2012

Keshavarz's film is both sensuous and audacious if a little uneven.

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Catherine Shoard

Guardian

08/23/2012

3/5

Keshavarz uses a trowel to feed us her ideas about living under a repressive regime when all you required was a teaspoon. But she has enough promise to keep you curious for her next offering - if she can just get a lighter grip on the ladle.

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Ashley Clark

Little White Lies

08/23/2012

4/5

Bold, haunting and moving; an excellent feature debut.

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David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

06/10/2020

The increasing fear and paranoia are temporarily offset by witty scenes of young queers dubbing a pirated version of Milk.

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B. Ruby Rich

Film Quarterly

02/28/2020

With an eye for detail and atmosphere reminiscent of Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta, [Maryam] Keshavarz nimbly reworks the diaspora narrative with a fresh, stylish, sexy style.

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Katie Smith-Wong

Flick Feast

11/26/2019

4/5

Circumstance is a fascinating and perceptive drama with a refreshing take on modern-day culture clashes in the Middle East.

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Faiz D

@RT95588871 05/13/2025

A truly unexpected film and great music as well.

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Naz H

@RT13893039 01/30/2023

This film is a masterpiece!

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04/02/2017

It was so oppressing to watch, but this kind of movie allows revolution and people to actually feel what happens to youth. And my god Shireen is such beauty.

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09/28/2015

Circumstance is a surprisingly complex and intriguing look at Iranian lives. Various tensions between sensuality and repression, family and the state, and too many more to mention play out over the course of a short story. While not a masterpiece, Circumstance is nicely drawn and worth a look, especially if you are unfamiliar with Persian culture.

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07/24/2015

Very good effort with a story based on a master treatise. Iranians live in an artificially prude world that actually protects them from the idiotic-ness of western world make efforts to go idiotic. Desire here seems superficial although love is everywhere. The story is very well balanced and i felt surprised to root for everybody in the film. May god be great. Maybe god is great. The outcome is not obvious or formulaic, but it does ring true.

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03/09/2014

ok romantic drama in a land where love n freedom are monitored

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Maryam Keshavarz

Director

Nikohl Boosheri

Atefah

Sarah Kazemy

Shireen

Reza Sixo Safai

Mehran

Soheil Parsa

Firouz Hakimi

Nasrin Pakkho

Azar Hakimi

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Synopsis

An Iranian teenager (Nikohl Boosheri) enters a lesbian relationship, while her brother (Reza Sixo Safai) becomes dangerously obsessed with Islamic fundamentalism.

Director: Maryam Keshavarz
Producer: Maryam Keshavarz, Karin Chien
Screenwriter: Maryam Keshavarz
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Language|Some Drug Use)
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 26, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $452.6K
Runtime: 1h 45m