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Bahman Ghobadi, Behnaz Jafari, Saeed Mohamadi, Mohamad Karim Rahmati, Rafat Moradi ... see more see more... , Said Mohamadi

Samira Makmalbaf makes her sophomore feature outing with this bold, elliptical look at the plight of marginalized populations in modern Iran. The film opens with a group of Kurdish teachers lugging bl... read more read more...ackboards on their backs in the rocky hinterland looking for illiterates to educate. The group splits up in a panic when they are suddenly confronted by a helicopter border patrol. Two pedagogues, Reeboir (Bahman Ghobadi) and Said (Said Mohamadi), camouflage their chalkboards with mud and take separate paths. Reeboir runs into a bevy of semi-feral adolescent boys who look haggard beyond their years; they spent their entire lives hauling (smuggled) goods through harrowing mountain passes. Reeboir tries to convince the lads that they should learn to read, but he is firmly rebuffed. Meanwhile, Said stumbles upon a wizened old man with a urinary problem and an attractive widowed daughter. Said eventually marries the woman, using his blackboard as dowry. Makmalbaf manages to imbue the film with a mood of fear and loss, making the characters' indomitable spirit all the more moving. This film was screened in competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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67% liked it

1,135 ratings

Critics

74% liked it

34 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Samira Makhmalbaf

Release Date: December 6, 2002

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DVD Release Date: February 17, 2004

Stats: 68 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (68)

  • gnadia
    June 6, 2007
    gnadia
    The role of Halaleh is now pretty much my favorite role in all movies of all time. Ever. All time. *And the director is a 20-year-old female*.

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
April 25, 2003
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

When I first saw Blackboards three years ago I was surprised as well as puzzled that in some ways it reminded me of John Ford's 1950 western Wagon Master. Full Review

Carla Meyer
January 24, 2003
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle

A heartening tale of small victories and enduring hope. Full Review

Peter Howell
January 17, 2003
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

There's no denying the strength of these simple images, and the bleak message of learning to sort out your real priorities in times of strife. Full Review

Rick Groen
January 17, 2003
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

A selection of scenes in search of a movie. Full Review

Wesley Morris
January 17, 2003
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Its metaphors are opaque enough to avoid didacticism, and the film succeeds as an emotionally accessible, almost mystical work. Full Review

Stanley Kauffmann
January 1, 2003
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

It is a testament of quiet endurance, of common concern, of reconciled survival.

Gene Seymour
December 6, 2002
Gene Seymour, Newsday

An austere, haunting tone poem about how, amid the ravages of conflict, the most persistent battle of all pits the aspiration to be human against the baser needs to survive. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
December 6, 2002
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Poetic, heartbreaking.

Stephen Holden
December 6, 2002
Stephen Holden, New York Times

An indelible and ultimately moving vision of humanity buffeted by the elements and by international political tides. Full Review

J. Hoberman
December 3, 2002
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Both shrill and soporific, and because everything is repeated five or six times, it can seem tiresomely simpleminded. Full Review

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