Movies Similar to A Controversial Birthday

The New Country(2000)

A 15-year-old Somalian boy meets a 40-year-old Iranian man in a refugee camp in Skåne, in the south of Sweden. With the threat of deportation hanging over them, they decide to take their faiths in their own hands and together they go on a journey in the Swedish summer.

1st Born(2019)

Tucker and Hamid are going to be grandfathers for the first time, but only if they can come together long enough to save their first-born grandchild.

Poverty(2009)

A haughty acclaimed newly married fashion designer named Iraj is shown the door by his boss after the boss's son arrives at Iran to take over his father's company. Iraj reluctant to promulgate the loss of his job, starts using his savings, trying to conceal the truth from his naive wife. Having squandered all the money he had on trivial matters, he tells his wife about being axed & that's when the tables turn on him.

Men at Work(2006)

A political allegory on four middle-class guys who pile into their car for a ski weekend. A brief stop at a picturesque vista leads to their chance discovery of a prominent rock formation it seems would be oh so easy to tip over, but...

Secret Ballot(2001)

A female election agent and a gun-toting soldier try to collect votes among the local islanders with mixed success.

The Lizard(2004)

The satirical commentary on clergymen in post-revolutionary Iran. While in prison, petty criminal Reza (Parviz Parastui) comes across a clergyman, sparking a plan for escape. Reza dons his new acquaintance's clerical robes and makes a bid for freedom. He soon learns that being a clergyman brings little respect from the public. Reza travels to the outlying villages, from where he plots to escape the country. However, his plans must be put on hold when the villagers accept him into their community and expect him to perform religious duties. Will Reza's prison break transform him into an unlikely pillar of the community?

Taxi(2015)

A yellow cab is driving through the vibrant and colourful streets of Tehran. Very diverse passengers enter the taxi, each candidly expressing their views while being interviewed by the driver who is no one else but the director Jafar Panahi himself. His camera placed on the dashboard of his mobile film studio captures the spirit of Iranian society through this comedic and dramatic drive…

Terrestrial Verses(2023)

A satirical take on the mundane absurdities of life in modern-day Iran, these nine vignettes illuminate the lighter side of enduring under authoritarian rule. Whether choosing a name for a newborn, graduating from grade school, getting a driver’s license, applying for a job, or seeking approval for a film script, if you live in Iran, you best come fluent in Orwellian discourse.

Modest Reception(2013)

An Iranian couple from the city drive around a remote mountainous region. They hand out bags of money to poor villagers in return for them carrying out unusual requests the couple make of them.

All Three of Us(2015)

An Iranian family survives the shah and the ayatollah and moves to France. This story follows the family through it all. Despite the politics, revolution, prison, beatings, assassinations and suicides this is a comedy.

Saint Petersburg(2010)

A newly released prisoner and an ostensibly rich youth become aware of the place of Tsar's long lost treasure by a twist of fate.

Orange Suit(2012)

The story of a professional photographer Hamed Aban and the radical change in his life. The teacher of his son gives him a book about nature and the cleaning of it. This changes him radically. He goes and hires himself in the municipality, wearing the orange suit like them and cleaning the streets, collecting garbage. Meanwhile his wife who is in Europe back home and is very angry with him. She insists on him to get back to his former work but he refusing. Then she wants a divorce and to take the son with herself to Europe.

Cease Fire 2(2014)

A young couple try to fix their marriage troubles with the help of a psychiatrist.

Havoo(2006)

Democracy in Daylight(2009)

The story of life of an Iranian army leader who has faults in his life and now in purgatory wants to retaliate for his faults.

The father of other(2015)

Dowry's Sugar Bowl(2015)

Ata and Masoumeh are living in a rented house. Their lease time is over and they can not pay the rent added. But they like to stay and live in this house...

Don't Forget Your Childhood(2015)

The adventure begins with the crash of a meteor in the outskirts of a desert city. The space-rock contains a chemical substance that affects the residents in peculiar ways. Two neighboring preteens fall in love, a nerd schoolgirl creates powerful energy with pressure cooker, a young boy takes his dad's cab out to make money and a schoolboy organizes for Hajj, when they are all exposed to the substance. As a result, their parents along with the whole neighborhood go wild in the ensuing events. Ironically, the kids and the adults switch places while trying to figure out a solution to this "otherworldly" problem!

Nothing(2010)

A man, who has some kind of a disease and eats a lot, enters a poor and large family to marry their mother.

Special Line(2014)

A hacker group empty a bank account of a big strong person. The story goes on and now they must pay for that.