Overview
A gripping tale of moral conflict and unexpected twists in a world of shadows and deceit.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- oppressive
- paranoid
- harrowing
- serious film night
- political cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a brave, challenging, politically enraged thriller whose suspense serves a forceful critique of repression.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Khosrow and Morteza are tasked with arranging a killing to look like suicide, turning political violence into an administered procedure.
The plot follows the assassination mission alongside the people endangered by the political system surrounding it.
The film’s Iranian setting and thriller premise are presented through a restrained, confrontational dramatic mode rather than spectacle.
The story’s planned staged suicide and political assassination frame repression as an organized institutional practice.
Films like Manuscripts Don't Burn, and why
The Lives of Others
political paranoia, state violence, and morally pressured characters within a tense thriller framework
A Separation
Iranian political repression, intimate realism, and an atmosphere of institutional dread
The Secret in Their Eyes
authoritarian surveillance, clandestine resistance, and grim political suspense
Movie Details
- Director
- Mohammad Rasoulof
- Release Date
- 2014-06-27
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (19)
Cast
- Ramin Parham
- Ali Nazarian
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Kino Film Collection
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Manuscripts Don't Burn about?
- A tense Iranian political thriller follows two operatives whose staged-suicide assassination exposes the machinery of state repression.
- What is Manuscripts Don't Burn like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Manuscripts Don't Burn as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Manuscripts Don't Burn violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Manuscripts Don't Burn as graphic.
- What did critics think of Manuscripts Don't Burn?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a brave, challenging, politically enraged thriller whose suspense serves a forceful critique of repression.
- Which films are like Manuscripts Don't Burn?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lives of Others, A Separation, and The Secret in Their Eyes.
- How long is Manuscripts Don't Burn?
- Manuscripts Don't Burn runs 125 minutes.
- Where can I watch Manuscripts Don't Burn?
- In United States, Manuscripts Don't Burn streams on Kino Film Collection.
