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Desert Dancer
Directed by
Richard Raymond
PG-13
2014
1h 38m
Drama
,
Biography
,
and more
6.2
30%
62%
Add to Watchlist
Afshin Ghaffarian risks everything to start a dance company amid his home country of Iran's politically volatile climate and the nation's ban on dancing.
More
Where to Watch Desert Dancer
Kanopy
Free
Amazon Prime Video
Subscription
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Subscription
+5 more
Cast of Desert Dancer
Freida Pinto
Elaheh
Reece Ritchie
Afshin Ghaffarian
Tom Cullen
Ardavan
Nazanin Boniadi
Parisa Ghaffarian
Marama Corlett
Mona
Akin Gazi
Farid Ghaffarian
Simon Kassianides
Sattar
Makram J. Khoury
Mehdi
Tolga Safer
Stephano
Neet Mohan
Javadi, Naser
Gabriel Senior
Young Afshin Ghaffarian
Richard Raymond
Director / Producer
Jon Croker
Writer
Luis Astorquia
Producer
Izabella Miko
Producer
Fabiola Beracasa Beckman
Producer
Pippa Cross
Producer
Desert Dancer Ratings & Reviews
Chicago Sun-Times
Mary Houlihan
In his feature film debut, director Richard Raymond keeps the story moving despite some dramatic cliches.
Common Sense Media
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Director Richard Raymond, making his feature debut, doesn't seem to have enough story to fill out a full-length movie.
RogerEbert.com
Glenn Kenny
Its depiction of the internal tensions in Iranian politics and culture is not what you'd call super-nuanced, but it is sympathetic to Iran as an entity.
Blu-ray.com
Brian Orndorf
Unsurprisingly, dancing is the highlight of "Desert Dancer," but it hardly receives the attention it deserves.
Consequence
Collin Brennan
As impressive as its dance sequences may be, Desert Dancer cannot overcome an intellectually lazy script that's as subtle as an eye-high leg kick.
Mark Reviews Movies
Mark Dujsik
Desert Dancer is the dramatization of a life story that rarely doesn't feel like a dramatization.
Los Angeles Times
Sheri Linden
Reece Ritchie brings heart to the lead role, particularly in the decisive solo performance that caps the film. But that sequence is as expressive and alive as the rest of the supposedly movement-loving drama is static.
New York Times
Andy Webster
"Desert Dancer" explores fascinating aspects of present-day Iran but suffers mightily from simplistic and sentimental tendencies.
Arizona Republic
Bill Goodykoontz
It's all over the place. All these are fine places to be when it comes to movies. It's just exhausting to try to be in all of them at once.
Chicago Daily Herald
Dann Gire
Raymond's diffuse direction is so old-school, made-for-cable-TV that it blunts the drama and never turns up the heat beyond tepid.
New York Post
Sara Stewart
"Desert Dancer" does manage to movingly convey the chilling, ultimately triumphant experience of Ghaffarian's struggle for creative expression under a regime that tried to crush it.
RedEye
Matt Pais
Favors simple and tame to detailed and credible.
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
Movies about people trying to start dance companies tend to be as formulaic as sports movies, but "Desert Dancer" escapes the usual drawbacks - corniness and bad dancing - by the urgency of the context.
AV Club
Katie Rife
Reduces a politically-charged tale of artistic triumph in the face of oppression to a series of bland platitudes that wouldn't be out of place on an inspirational poster on the wall of a guidance counselor's office.
New York Daily News
Graham Fuller
"Desert Dancer" is a conventional protest drama, but it offers many magic moments - especially when co-stars Freida Pinto and Reece Ritchie perform sinuous routines. Or simply gaze into each other's eyes.
The Hollywood Reporter
Frank Scheck
Desert Dancer too often lapses into generic cinematic clichs, failing to live up to the dramatic potential of its subject matter.
Variety
Scott Foundas
As with so many "extraordinary" true stories, British director Richard Raymond's debut feature leaves you craving more truth and less canned inspirationalism.
San Jose Mercury News
Randy Myers
A little gem that sparkles brightly as it celebrates not just dance but unshackled, uncensored creative expression.
Village Voice
Alan Scherstuhl
The film plays too safe with its narrative. Fortunately, like its characters, it's most daring when it's in motion.
Slant Magazine
Ed Gonzalez
The film's relentless turning of its characters' experience into platitudes and homilies is served for our too-easy consumption.
Watch Desert Dancer Videos
Desert Dancer
Desert Dancer
Trailer
Desert Dancer (Trailer 1)
Desert Dancer (Trailer 1)
Trailer
Dance Is Forbidden
Dance Is Forbidden
Behind the Scenes
Making Of The Dance
Making Of The Dance
Behind the Scenes
Richard Raymond On The Film Synopsis
Richard Raymond On The Film Synopsis
Behind the Scenes
Freida Pinto On Being Drawn To The Role
Freida Pinto On Being Drawn To The Role
Behind the Scenes
Nazanin Boniadi On What The Film Is About
Nazanin Boniadi On What The Film Is About
Behind the Scenes
Tom Cullen On The Film Being Based On A True Story
Tom Cullen On The Film Being Based On A True Story
Behind the Scenes
Reece Ritchie On Getting The Role Of Afshin Ghaffarian
Reece Ritchie On Getting The Role Of Afshin Ghaffarian
Behind the Scenes
Rooftop
Rooftop
Scene
Desert Dance
Desert Dance
Scene
Who Taught You?
Who Taught You?
Scene
Dance Is Forbidden
Dance Is Forbidden
Scene
You Taught Me That
You Taught Me That
Scene
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