Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- intense
- absurdist
- foreboding
- arthouse film night
- film festival viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an intense, highly metaphoric Iranian drama distinguished by Azita Hajian’s physical performance, though its dense absurdism proved less accessible to some foreign viewers.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mahboobeh and Jomeh fight over property in a tank graveyard located in the no-man’s-land between Iran and Iraq.
The tank graveyard, property dispute, and three-character conflict operate as highly metaphoric elements within a war-scarred setting.
Critical reception specifically highlights Azita Hajian’s extremely intense and amazingly physical performance as Mahboobeh.
The action unfolds in a tank graveyard in the no-man’s-land between Iran and Iraq, making geography itself a source of tension.
Films like The Red Ribbon, and why
The Silence of the Lambs
metaphoric war drama centered on an intense relationship in a devastated landscape
The Exterminating Angel
absurdist drama using a confined, hostile environment to explore conflict and human behavior
The Wind Will Carry Us
symbolic antiwar drama focused on civilians amid the aftermath of armed conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Ebrahim Hatamikia
- Release Date
- 1999-04-01
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (6)
Cast
- Azita Hajian
- Reza Kianian
- Parviz Parastouei
Common questions
- What is The Red Ribbon about?
- In a tank graveyard between Iran and Iraq, a fiercely physical property dispute becomes an absurdist meditation on desire, war, and belonging.
- What is The Red Ribbon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Red Ribbon as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Red Ribbon violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Red Ribbon as mild.
- What did critics think of The Red Ribbon?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an intense, highly metaphoric Iranian drama distinguished by Azita Hajian’s physical performance, though its dense absurdism proved less accessible to some foreign viewers.
- Which films are like The Red Ribbon?
- Films with a similar feel include The Silence of the Lambs, The Exterminating Angel, and The Wind Will Carry Us.
- How long is The Red Ribbon?
- The Red Ribbon runs 95 minutes.
