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Mohammad Rasoulof

Iranian filmmaker living in exile in Europe; won the Golden Bear for There Is No Evil (2020) and made A Man of Integrity (2017) and The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024).

9 things

Down by LawOther Jim Jarmusch

loved

What amazed me and made me love Down by Law was the script.

Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Mohammad Rasoulof, the entry for Down by Law.

2025-02-03·criterion.com ↗

Benny’s VideoOther Michael Haneke

loved

What’s so interesting about Benny’s Video is how he tells a very simple story about ethics and the importance of learning using a very limited set of tools. I particularly loved the photography in the film.

Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Mohammad Rasoulof, the entry for Benny’s Video.

2025-02-03·criterion.com ↗

Straw DogsOther Sam Peckinpah

loved

While I was working on the script for The Seed of the Sacred Fig, I realized that Straw Dogs was influencing my writing. I love the editing, as well as the cinematography and the excellent performances.

Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Mohammad Rasoulof, the entry for Straw Dogs.

2025-02-03·criterion.com ↗

Blow-UpOther Michelangelo Antonioni

loved

Blow-Up makes me think about the meaning of a person’s relationship to reality and the extent to which someone can deny reality in order to avoid having to criticize themselves. Antonioni achieves this in a remarkable way.

Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Mohammad Rasoulof, the entry for Blow-Up.

2025-02-03·criterion.com ↗

PinaOther Wim Wenders

loved

I knew Bausch’s work to some extent before seeing Pina, but the film opens a very special window onto her work. You can look at her life through many different perspectives, but I love this view of her.

Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Mohammad Rasoulof, the entry for Pina.

2025-02-03·criterion.com ↗

Army of ShadowsOther Jean-Pierre Melville

loved

Army of Shadows is a film I can always watch again. I love it because it makes me wonder where its sourness and sadness come from.

Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Mohammad Rasoulof, the entry for Army of Shadows.

2025-02-03·criterion.com ↗

No Country for Old MenOther Coen Brothers

liked

After watching No Country for Old Men, I found myself reflecting for a long time on what the film is about, and for me it’s the idea of being born again.

Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Mohammad Rasoulof, the entry for No Country for Old Men.

2025-02-03·criterion.com ↗

The RunnerOther Amir Naderi

liked

In The Runner, he creates a city that does not actually exist, but it looks like it does; you don’t know where it is, but you understand it. This film also showed me that it’s the attempt that is important, not the final goal.

Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Mohammad Rasoulof, the entry for The Runner.

2025-02-03·criterion.com ↗

I, Daniel BlakeOther Ken Loach

liked

I, Daniel Blake is very special in his filmography.

Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Mohammad Rasoulof, the entry for I, Daniel Blake.

2025-02-03·criterion.com ↗

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