Watch Modest Reception

Modest Reception is a thought-provoking drama film that was released in 2012. The movie is directed by Mani Haghighi, who also features in one of the starring roles alongside Taraneh Alidoosti and Saeed Changizian. The story centers around a wealthy couple who travel to a remote rural region in Iran with a mission to distribute money to the local needy residents.

The movie opens with a seemingly wealthy couple driving on a desolate road, heading towards a remote region in Iran. They are a mysterious couple, and the viewer is unsure of their identity and the reason for their journey. The man is driving the car while the woman is busy making stacks of money. The couple soon reaches their destination, where they interact with several locals, who are in dire need of money. The couple's mission is to distribute the money, but they don't want to give it away in a conventional way. They want to create challenges for the recipients to earn the money.

As the story progresses, the couple decides to play a game with the locals in which they hide money in remote locations and offer it to the first person who finds it. The money is offered with a condition that the person receiving it must undertake an unusual request. The requests range from mundane tasks like kissing someone or eating dirt to extreme tasks like cutting off one's own finger or allowing oneself to be whipped.

The locals initially find the couple amusing and exciting, eager to play their game and earn some money. However, as the games become more challenging and the requests more bizarre, the locals begin to question the couple's motives. They start to wonder why the couple is doing this and whether their actions are intended to help the needy or as a way of asserting power over the locals.

As the couple continues to play their game, tensions rise, and the locals begin to revolt against them. The viewer is left questioning the couple's motives and their eventual fate. The couple's mysterious behavior becomes increasingly difficult to understand, and the viewer is left with a sense of unease that lingers until the end of the film.

The film is well-made and skillfully crafted, with strong performances from its cast. Haghighi, Alidoosti, and Changizian deliver exceptional performances, conveying the characters' motivations and emotions with depth and nuance. The movie's cinematography is also noteworthy, effectively capturing the stark beauty of the film's rural settings.

One of the film's main themes is power dynamic and control. In this case, the wealthy couple holds all the power, and they use it to manipulate the locals into carrying out their odd requests. The film also explores the dark side of charity, pondering whether charity ought to come with strings attached or be all-encompassing.

Another primary theme is the concept of trust. The couple's actions initially cause the locals to have faith in them. The locals believe that the couple has come to help them, but as their game becomes more intense, the locals begin to question the couple's intentions. The film explores how fragile trust is and how easily it can be shattered when we begin to question the intentions of those we put our faith in.

Overall, Modest Reception is an intelligent and thought-provoking film that delves deep into the concepts of power dynamics, trust, and the complexities of charity. The movie challenges the viewer's notions of what it means to be charitable and whether charity should come with strings attached. It is a film that will leave viewers questioning their own intentions and motivations and a testament to why Iranian cinema has become such a powerful force in the world of filmmaking.

Modest Reception is a 2013 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 40 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7.