Critic Reviews

• Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

  It offers a rare glimpse into the insurgents' long-held hopes for reform. This green wave, as a blogger remarks, is a tidal wave.

• Tom Keogh, Seattle Times

  A wrenching but illuminating look at what actually happened during Iran's Green Revolution in 2009-10.

• Rachel Saltz, New York Times

  For all its omissions and problems, "The Green Wave" communicates certain basic truths effectively: Many Iranians want their voices to be heard and their votes to count.

• R. Emmet Sweeney, Time Out New York

  By airing an impassioned chorus of voices ranging from lawyers to religious clerics, the film argues that the 2009 protests were simply preparing the way for a larger populist movement that has yet to crest.

• Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

  [Shows] us a moment in history that reveals more about itself each time it is examined.

• Ella Taylor, NPR

  The movie shows what happened, but it also conveys what it felt like to travel from euphoria to despair in the space of a few weeks.

• Brent Simon, Shared Darkness

  Striking and powerful, The Green Wave serves as an inventive registering of the turmoil, upheaval and governmental crackdown of the Arab Spring.

• Lauren Wissot, Slant Magazine

  Unlike Waltz with Bashir, it only seems to be using animation in an effort to make blog diaries by twentysomethings appear cinematic.

• Derek Malcolm, This is London

  A forceful reminder that the present regime beat, tortured, murdered and imprisoned its own subjects.

• Henry Barnes, Guardian [UK]

  Ahadu pulls the curtain back on a government that was willing to imprison and torture its electorate.

• Nigel Andrews, Financial Times

  There are harrowing moments and a pulse, throughout, of passionate indignation. But more precision in the chronicling of events would have generated more power.

• Shelley Jones, Little White Lies

  It's an exciting time for Islamic cinema and this doc is an extraordinary intro into Iranian politics.

• Chris Buckle, The Skinny

  Offsetting any gaps in its historical record is the breadth of testimony.

• , Empire Magazine

  A worthy topic that deserves a slightly better documentary.

• Tom Dawson, Total Film

  Heartfelt and inventive, this documentary from exiled director Ali Samadi Ahadi chronicles Iran's abortive Green Revolution during the summer of 2009.

• Marty Mapes, Movie Habit

  What happened in Iran in 2009 led the way for the Arab democracy revolt

• Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film

  Ali Samadi Ahadi paints a poetic and heartfelt portrait of a nation oppressed.

• Mark Adams, Screen International

  Director Ali Samadi Ahadi intelligently weaves texts and blogs set against footage from a variety of sources.

Read all 18 critic reviews