Video & On Demand - Inversion DVD & Download

Inversion DVD & Download

28th August

'Terrific performances...a movie that has something to say...very powerful.'

Mark Kermode, Kermode&Mayo Radio 5

'A fantastic performance by Sahar Dowlatshahi...I was really moved by it because I believed in the characters.'

Mark Kermode, The Film Review

★★★★

'Impressive Iranian drama...Like Asghar Farhadi’s acclaimed recent movies 'A Separation' and 'The Salesman', this is a story about middle-class Tehran and the layers of conflict that evolve out of seemingly ordinary circumstances. What’s distinctive here is the film’s investment in the plight of female self-determination. It delves into the labyrinth of Iranian social mores, and the subtle ways in which women of different generations mark out their own emotional space.'
Trevor Johnston, Time Out

★★★★

'The movie itself is a cousin to The Salesman and A Separation, Asghar Farhadi’s two Oscar-winning examinations of Iranian society through the lens of Iranian domestic life. Behzadi’s humanist miniaturism is so subtle — so “ordinary” on the surface — that at times it could pass for soap opera. But the characters are intertwined with a lethal craft. And their dilemmas of guilt or conscience are so fine and nuanced that we barely perceive the process by which the film gathers its satirical and symbolic density.'
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

★★★★
'Compelling domestic drama about a woman fighting her corner paints big issues on a small canvas'

Kate Muir, The Times

'penetrating drama...An upbeat tale of woman power... A woman takes charge in Behnam Behzadi’s smoggy Tehran drama...'

Deborah Young, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

'In “Inversion,” the pollution sets off a chain reaction of familial discord that closes in on the heroine, Niloofar (Sahar Dowlatshahi), until it forces her to find a new source of air... Sahar Dowlatshahi is a beautiful and dynamic actress with an open, laughing face and darkly expressive doe eyes that have a way of dominating every shot they’re in. Under her head scarf, her hair lays against her forehead in a way that gives her a striking resemblance to Audrey Hepburn — and this is one case where an actress’s impish radiance serves a vital thematic function.'

Owen Gleiberman, VARIETY

'Behzadi's film is a lucid depiction of life in modern-day Tehran and the underlying rules of Iranian society...A portrait of Iranian society, 'Varoonegi' (Inversion) probes an issue regarding women and what expectations the community has of them, while being an essentially plot-focused story.'

Jasmin Valjas, The Upcoming UK

Behzadi's 'Inversion' Welcomed in Cannes

'The Iranian feature film ‘Inversion’, written and directed by Behnam Behzadi, which represents Iran in the Un Certain Regard Section of the 69th Cannes Film Festival, had its premiere screening on May 18 and was well received by the audience including jury president George Miller and the Iranian jury member Katayoon Shahabi.'

'Owen Gleiberman, chief film critic of Variety called Dowlatshahi “a dynamic actress.” Praising her performance, he wrote, “The audience looks at Niloofar and feels so connected to her eager vitality that we want her to be everything that she can be.'

FINANCIAL TRIBUNE

"The first dramatic feature by short film and documentary-maker Behnam Behzadi, represents Iran in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival. The theme of a woman seeking self-determination in the face of society’s restrictions is one that has remained in the forefront for contemporary Iranian directors. Although not social realist in its style, “Inversion” addresses real issues regarding a woman’s freedom to choose her own life in the face of the overriding grip of family obligation.

Behzadi’s storytelling is conventional, but the film’s appeal lies in its revealing construction of the web of family obligation and filial responsibility. Iranian filmmakers are used to working with metaphor and fictional subterfuge, and this director’s underlining of the concepts of inversion, independence, and self-determination can be read with a wider meaning."

Rogerebert

"A winner, Behnam Behzadi’s “Inversion” (“Varoonegi” in the original Persian title), screened yesterday in the Un Certain Regard selection., Cannes. A drama about a family in turmoil after a parent falls ill and an important decision needs to be taken by all...ongoing issues with a previous heritage cause complications and more bad blood. Comparisons to Asghar Farhadi can hardly be avoided, Behzadi creating an ersatz of “A Separation.”
Ali Naderzad, SCREEN COMMENT

Top ^

Director & Scriptwriter	Behnam Behzadi
Script Advisor	Hassan Shahsavari
Director of Photography	Bahram Badakhshani
Sound	Rashid Daneshmand
Sound Design & Mix	Amir Hossein Ghasemi
Music	Sahar Sakhaei
Editor	Meysam Molaei
Make Up Artist	Soudabeh Khosravi
Set and Costume Designer	Babak KarimiTari
Assistant Director	Afshin Rezaei
Still Photography	Somayeh Jafari
Production Manager	Ebrahim Zahedifar
Investors	Behnam Behzadi, Mojtaba Nam Nabat
Producer	Behnam Behzadi