No Date, No Signature

A mirror of Iranian cinema that reflects the personality of the protagonist from the point of view of the doubt of existence.

A strong connection between guilt and moral compass.conflicts of a man in an ethical dilemma.it takes 2 minutes for you to connect with the characters and the story.

This is an intense and complicated Iranian drama starring Amir Aghaee as Dr. Kaveh Nariman, who one night driving on the highway accidentally hits a family of four riding on a motor scooter. As details emerge from all parties involved, the consequences of this incident will become enormous.

The movie, directed by Vahid Jalilvand, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Ali Zarnegar, kept me engaged and interested throughout. Aside from Aghaee, look for fine performances from Hediyeh Tehrani, Navid Mohammadzadeh, and Zakieh Behbahani.

Overall, this is a powerful film with loads of realism. I did think the surprise ending was somewhat implausible but for those that like intense foreign films, this one may very well be to your liking.

"No Date, No Signature" is a character study from Iran and perhaps the best film shown in the U.S. this year to date. It's an engrossing story of an Iranian doctor who sideswipes a motorbike carrying a couple with two small children. He makes amends as best he can but doesn't tell the police as his insurance has lapsed. Several days later a boy's body is brought to the hospital where he works, and he immediately recognizes the name. The boy is said to have died due to food poisoning, but was he in some way responsible?

The acting in this picture is superb and all are Iranian actors. The doctor wrestles with his conscience and decides to autopsy the boy himself. The doctor is the star of the picture, but the man who plays the boy's father is outstanding, the best acting our shores have seen in a long time. I don't do spoilers, but you would have to see this film to appreciate the level of competence by all concerned. Another surprise is how courteously the women are treated, since we have been conditioned to believe that women are considered second-class citizens.

Movies of this caliber are seldom made in the U.S. anymore. Most are made for teenagers and it is refreshing to see a well-made movie for adults. You'll have to work to see it as it's only at one theater, NYC's Film Forum. The title refers to the death certificate, which the doctor will not sign until satisfied.

8/10 - The website no longer prints my star ratings.

In this movie, several seemingly small decisions result in a cascading shower of unexpected and disproportionately unfortunate events. This may sound like heavy-handed Greek tragedy (or Persian tragedy in this case), but the actors and the director keep the movie grounded and real. The acting is very solid.

On the negative side, there were several points where the story is following the lead-up to a key event in some detail and then jumps past the event itself. It seems like an odd and anti-dramatic editing choice.

Note. As with almost any Iranian film for adults, it is a useful corrective for us Americans and our stereotypes of downtrodden Iranian women, to see how tough-minded and outspoken the women can be.