Overview
A filmmaker's journey through Tehran's streets reveals the heart of its people.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- warm
- subversive
- thoughtful afternoon
- international cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Taxi as an inventive, affectionate, and politically trenchant act of cinematic dissent that transforms production restrictions into artistic strength.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Panahi pretends to be a taxi driver while filming real-seeming passengers and conversations from inside the cab.
Panahi’s filmmaking ban and legal restrictions shape the taxi premise, confined camera setup, and act of public dissent.
The taxi becomes a compact public space where passengers representing different viewpoints and social conditions encounter one another.
Cameras mounted inside Panahi’s taxi turn the vehicle’s dashboard and passenger seats into the film’s primary viewpoint.
Films like Taxi, and why
The Circle
docufictional observation, social commentary, and intimate encounters with ordinary people in a constrained urban setting
A Separation
Iranian social realism, institutional critique, and everyday moral conversations shaped by documentary-like observation
The Act of Killing
self-reflexive filmmaking, political dissent, and blurred boundaries between lived reality and staged cinema
Movie Details
- Director
- Jafar Panahi
- Release Date
- 2015-04-15
- Runtime
- 81 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (497)
Cast
- Jafar Panahi
- Hana Saeidi
- Nasrin Sotoudeh
- Majid Panahi
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Kino Film Collection
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Taxi about?
- A banned Iranian filmmaker disguises a cinematic act of dissent as a taxi ride through Tehran, turning passengers’ conversations into an affectionate social portrait.
- What is Taxi like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Taxi as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Taxi violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Taxi as mild.
- What did critics think of Taxi?
- Critics broadly regard Taxi as an inventive, affectionate, and politically trenchant act of cinematic dissent that transforms production restrictions into artistic strength.
- Which films are like Taxi?
- Films with a similar feel include The Circle, A Separation, and The Act of Killing.
- How long is Taxi?
- Taxi runs 81 minutes.
- Where can I watch Taxi?
- In United States, Taxi streams on Kino Film Collection.
