Desert Dancer's reviews
Media reviews
ABC
Here, everything is very conventional, but also very endearing, tender but rebellious time.
Chicago Sun-Times
The powerfully choreographed dances also address the idea that artistic vision is a potent antidote to repression.
New York Post
It may fall into some conventional paces as a triumph-over-adversity story, but 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.
Fotogramas
It is not able to meet the political conflicts from all its multifaceted complexity.
Los Angeles Times
Ghaffarian's story plays out within such a generic framework, and with such self-importance, that it's all too easy to remain untouched by the onscreen events.
New York Times
Desert Dancer explores fascinating aspects of present-day Iran but suffers mightily from simplistic and sentimental tendencies.
Screen Daily
Though suitably moving in parts, Desert Dancer is more dutiful than inspired, reducing a worthy message to lukewarm sermonising.
The Hollywood Reporter
Desert Dancer too often lapses into generic cinematic clichés, failing to live up to the dramatic potential of its subject matter.
The A.V. Club
The whole thing resembles nothing more than the kind of video a well-meaning high-school teacher would put on to occupy their class while they catch up on some paperwork. It will almost certainly be used for this purpose in the future.
Variety
Desert Dancer traffics in the kind of spirited rebel-youth archetypes who?ve been endemic to dance movies for decades.
Clarin
The film makes a descent line Manichean that adds nothing to the knowledge of the Iranian reality.
Cinemanía
Poor in speech, rich choreography. Not curdle.