Bernd 12/13/2018 (Thu) 02:31:53 No.21233 del
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Watched this on Youtube today. A nice perspective and subject matter: an Iranian movie about the Syrian Civil War.

It's set in 2015, as ISIS is overruning Palmyra. A transport plane is set to evacuate wounded, civilians and prisoners from the city, but its pilot dies and there are no immediate Syrian replacements. An Iranian volunteers to fly, but his son -also a pilot- insists on going, against the will of his family in Iran. The two take over the plane, but ISIS prisoners riot mid-flight and everything worsens from that point onwards.

The film takes a positive stance towards the Syrian and Iranian governments, though some lines go in the opposite direction.
ISIS members are shown as freaks, though a sheikh is fleshed out as a more complex character. Great attention is given to the group's use of media and its foreign fighters.
English (most of it poorly pronounced) is used heavily as a lingua franca between Arabs and Iranians aswell as the language of some ISIS members.
Special effects are shoddy, with gore in particular being unconvincing.
Youtube subtitles have some typos.
The plot is highly realistic at first, though later on it follows some premises with little precedent in reality and begins to take artistic liberties.
Some scenes have mediocre aesthetics and execution, while others are well-done.
Early action scenes are underwhelming, but the bulk of the movie does spawn tension.
Ultimately, a somber tone is established, the main actor does his job well enough and the conclusion has emotion.

Not a masterpiece, but it's a decent film.