Persian Lessons

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1:38

Persian Lessons

2023,

2h 7m,

History/

Drama

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80%

49 Reviews

Tomatometer

89%

50+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Set in occupied France in 1942, Persian Lessons follows Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), a Belgian Jew, who narrowly avoids sudden execution by swearing to the guards that he's Persian, not Jewish. While the lie temporarily saves him, Gilles is then assigned the extraordinary task of teaching Farsi, a language he doesn't know, to Koch (Lars Eidinger), the officer in charge of the camp's kitchen who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over. Through an inspired and clever deception, Giles not only manages to survive, but also devises an astonishing strategy to remember the names of his condemned brethren.

Critics Consensus

Persian Lessons is somewhat dramatically contrived, but it remains an effectively tense drama that's elevated by Nahuel Pérez Biscayart's performance.

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Christina Newland

iNews.co.uk

Sep 23, 2024

4/5

Persian Lessons focuses less on a parade of unspeakable violence, which we are all aware of, and more on the victim’s survivor’s guilt, the victimiser’s murderous self-delusion, and the muddied waters of the human relationship between the two.

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Maxwell Rabb

Chicago Reader

Jun 23, 2023

The war drama could have been powerful and human, but too much distracts from the central narrative.

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Rex Reed

Observer

Jun 21, 2023

3/4

Not a great film, but in many ways extraordinary, unpredictable, and memorable.

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Clotilde Chinnici

Loud and Clear Reviews

Sep 15, 2024

3/5

The film is also an interesting reflection on languages. Not only does the audience hear multiple languages spoken in the camp, such as German, French, and Italian to name a few, but the movie also delivers a lesson in linguistics.

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Daryl MacDonald

InSession Film

Apr 26, 2024

C+

It’s a worthwhile watch for the fantastic performances of its central leads, and if you can let go of the glaringly obvious language plot holes, then you may find Persian Lessons a thrilling addition to the ever increasing genre of Holocaust movies.

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Aug 5, 2023

3.5/4

There are moments of suspense, as when a real Farsi-speaking Persian winds up in the camp, and moments of beauty, as we watch Reza choose names for each hungry prisoner. But the heart of the piece is the growing relationship between Reza and Klaus.

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Vadim Perelman

Director

Nahuel Pérez Biscayart

Gilles

Lars Eidinger

Klaus Koch

Jonas Nay

Max

Leonie Benesch

Elsa

Alexander Beyer

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Persian Lessons: Trailer 1

1:38

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Synopsis

Set in occupied France in 1942, Persian Lessons follows Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), a Belgian Jew, who narrowly avoids sudden execution by swearing to the guards that he's Persian, not Jewish. While the lie temporarily saves him, Gilles is then assigned the extraordinary task of teaching Farsi, a language he doesn't know, to Koch (Lars Eidinger), the officer in charge of the camp's kitchen who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over. Through an inspired and clever deception, Giles not only manages to survive, but also devises an astonishing strategy to remember the names of his condemned brethren.

Director: Vadim Perelman
Producer: Ilya Stewart, Murad Osmann, Pavel Burian, Ilja Zofin, Vadim Perelman, Timur Bekmambetov, Rauf Atamalibekov
Screenwriter: Ilja Zofin
Distributor: Cohen Media Group
Production Co: LM Media, Belarusfilm, Hype Film, One Two Films
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 9, 2023, Limited
Runtime: 2h 7m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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