Chaplin of the Mountains

Chaplin of the Mountains is a 2013 Kurdish drama film edited, produced, written and directed by Jano Rosebiani and starring Estelle Bajou and Zack Gold. The film premiered at the 2013 San Sebastián International Film Festival in it's Cinema in Motion 6 section.[2]

Chaplin of the Mountains
Film poster
Directed byJano Rosebiani
Written byJano Rosebiani
Produced byJano Rosebiani
StarringEstelle Bajou
Zack Gold
CinematographyJonas Sacks
Edited byJano Rosebiani
Music by
[1]
Production
company
Evini Films
Release date
Running time
93 minutes
CountryKurdistan
LanguageKurdish
Budget€201,680[2]

Plot

Nazé is an orphaned Kurdish-French woman who travels to Kurdistan where she believes her mother died in a bombardment during the Anfal campaign. During her trip, she meets two New York University graduates from the United States, who were screening Chaplin films in the countryside. The American duo then decided to help her find the remains and possible location of her mother. When they reached Qandil Mountains, they all were shocked by what they found...

Cast
  • Estelle Bajou as Nazé
  • Zack Gold as David
  • Kurdo Galali as Reboir
  • Taies Farzan as Shireen
  • Enwer Shexani as Mam Choli
  • Bennett Viso as Alan
  • Jano Rosebiani as professor
  • Bilal Shakr as doctor
  • Shlér Murdochy as guerilla
  • Dilgesh Rojbeyani as guerilla

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 50% based on 6 critics, with an average rating of 4.1/10.[3] On Metacritic, Chaplin of the Mountains holds a rank of 43 out of a 100 based on five critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[4]

Martin Tsai of the Los Angeles Times wrote "At its best, the film seems as dreary a travelogue as that Nia Vardalos vehicle My Life in Ruins, At its worst, Chaplin of the Mountains feels like an overambitious film-school thesis with superfluous political and philosophical posturing".[5]

Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times has awarded the film with it's NYT Critic's Pick award and called it "A charmingly shaggy road trip with clear political undertones", adding that "Chaplin of the Mountains winds its way across the Iraqi Kurdistan region, using silent movies to give voice to the troubles of a war-battered people".[6]

According to Aaron Hillis of The Village Voice, the film is "Deadened by milquetoast characters, uninspired landscape photography, and no perceptible stakes".[7]

The Hollywood Reporter criticized the film, saying that "It's not a good sign when a film's most resonant line is "You must be bored with your lives".[8]

References
  1. Sharifi, Amir; Ashouri, Ali (June 21, 2014). "Kurdish diasporic cinema: 'Chaplin of the Mountains' & 'One Candle, Two Candles'". Kurdistan Tribune. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  2. "Cinema in Motion 6" (PDF). San Sebastián International Film Festival.
  3. "Chaplin of the Mountains (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  4. "Chaplin of the Mountains". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  5. "Review: Jano Rosebiani's pedestrian explorations of Kurdish culture". Los Angeles Times. June 24, 2014. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  6. Catsoulis, Jeannette (February 21, 2014). "Chaplin of the Mountains". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. p. C8.
  7. Hillis, Aaron (February 19, 2014). "Chaplin of the Mountains Tracks an Incomprehensible Quest in Northern Iraq". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  8. "Chaplin of the Mountains: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. February 26, 2014. Retrieved 2021-11-07.


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