Absolutely brilliant

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

In 2011, Jafar Panahi was arrested in his country of Iran. Apparently, the film he was working on offended the wrong people and he was held, without charges, for some time before anyone was allowed to see him. All he knew is that it offended the regime and they decided to imprison him. Eventually, a trial was held and Panahi was sentenced to 6 years in prison as well as a 20 year ban on making movies or leaving the country. Exactly why still wasn't certain and there was an outcry from the international community. It didn't seem to have any effect and his appeal was rejected. He remains in prison today."This is Not a Film" was made just before Panahi went back to prison. What it consists of is a lot of raw and rambling footage. While Panahi talks a bit about his situation, he really doesn't get into discussing the regime nor his punishment. Instead, he does a lot of seemingly mundane things (the film begins with him eating breakfast) as well as blocking out and explaining what his film would have been--if he could have made it. Additionally, friends drop by and spend time with him and talk to the camera man. All this footage was smuggled out of Iran in a hidden flash drive and appears to have been unedited--just played out in its entirety.From a political standpoint, "This is Not a Film" is intriguing. Your heart really has to go out to Panahi and the situation is just evil. However, despite all this, the project is a complete bore to watch and desperately needed direction and editing. I would agree that this really isn't a film--and because of this, I am declining to give this one a vote. Interesting but also tedious and very, very difficult to watch. I really think using some of this footage and then making a documentary about Pahani's legal battle would have been exciting and worth seeing. Perhaps they can do this some time in the future.

You may or may not know the recent struggles of Iranian film maker Jafar Panahi. In 2010, he was arrested for alleged propaganda against the Islamic Republic, set to serve a prison sentence for six years, and banned from contributing to any movie for 20 years. Strictly speaking, This is Not a Film isn't legal. The film was shot entirely by him and friend Mojtaba Mirtahmasb. Chronicling a day in the life of Panahi, the film is a strong, bold, witty commentary on oppression of creativity and freedom of speech. There's not terribly much of a narrative, considering the simple presentation, but that doesn't make the footage any less powerful in Panahi's self-expression. It's even bolder considering it was smuggled out of the country through a hidden flash drive. Simple, yet oh so entertaining.**** / *****

A late addition to the Cannes 2011 programme after being smuggled into France inside a cake, Iranian director Jafar Panahi's "This is Not a Film" (2011) is by no means your average political documentary. The 75-minute piece, shot partially on an iPhone, captures the day-to-day life of Panahi during a state-imposed house arrest in his Tehran apartment as he appeals a six year prison sentence and 20 year filmmaking ban for his opposition to the 2011 Iranian elections.Here in the Western world, our access to information, democratic governments, and human rights are taken for granted. Panahi and Mirtahmasb are putting their lives on the line to tell the stories they feel they must tell, in the hope that, one day, their nation will be able to have the same sort of pro-democratic freedom as the rest of us. Gripping entertainment. Little by little "This Is Not a Film" leads to a final scene of overwhelming power. Anyone interested in cinema and/or Iran owes it to themselves to become familiar with this "not" film.

At a native festival, this I hear was smuggled from Iran. Well after watching this, I had a totally bad, negative feeling. It is absolutely right that THIS IS NOT A FILM! Because it doesn't entertain!Thank God, it is around 70 minutes or else I would've starved to death. The documentary starts intriguing but to the middle, it bores you to death. But, if you take out some courage to complete it, you will be startled to find out how an enemy of the state is regarded/brandished in Iran.I loved the subject and my 4 stars go for the direction, story and the cause of house arrest in Iran. But if we consider other elements of film-making, this is a no-brainer. I will not comform with what the usual critics have to say about the causal topic, but I personally believe that a documentary should be as entertaining, informative (which this was) and enjoyable as a film!Bottom line: A must watch... a single time!Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YESLanguage: No | Sex: No | Violence: Very Mild