69
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88RogerEbert.comRoxana HadadiRogerEbert.comRoxana HadadiThe result is a twisty-turny plot that sometimes feels like a family drama, sometimes like a legal thriller, with Bahkshi delivering a bombshell, allowing the film’s characters time to react to it, and then dropping another secret that is even more shocking than the first.
- 88Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreYalda: A Night of Forgiveness is a riveting and thoroughly engrossing satire of Iranian culture and the work-arounds built into a theocracy, ways of ignoring calls for reform and the shedding of “tradition.”
- 80Los Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarLos Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarThe riveting and superbly acted Iranian drama, based on a real variety show, poses a moral crucible born out of a theocratic system that disfavors women amid the heightened tension of the on-camera spectacle.
- 75Film ThreatHanna B.Film ThreatHanna B.Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness, might start softly, leaving viewers unsure what it is, but very quickly, it becomes fascinating and engaging akin to watching a game where we have to discern the truth. It is actually strange, though quite disturbing in hindsight, to think of it this way, considering real events inspire the story.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThere is really much to enjoy in this paradoxical but grippingly paced film.
- 67The PlaylistAndrew BundyThe PlaylistAndrew BundyIt leans a bit heavy into big swing emotional moments and has a few shouting matches too many, but Asgari gives an absolutely tremendous performance that hits like a wrecking ball and may make even the most stone-hearted tear up.
- 60Screen DailyAllan HunterScreen DailyAllan HunterThe slick assurance of Bakhshi’s approach makes for an accessible, pacey melodrama but one that can also seem to trivialise the life and death matters at the core of the story.
- 60VarietyTomris LafflyVarietyTomris LafflyBakhshi’s sure-handed assessment of Iran’s class struggle, a thoughtfully-parsed topic with universal implications, is the film’s most fascinating dimension.