Chess of the Wind(شطرنج باد)

Name: Chess of the Wind
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Iran · 1976
1h 40m
Director Mohammad Reza Aslani
Starring Fakhri Khorvash, Mohammadali Keshavarz, Akbar Zanjanpour, Shohreh Aghdashloo
Genre Drama, Mystery, Thriller

In an ornate, candlelit mansion, a web of greed, violence, and betrayal ensnares the heirs to a family fortune as they vie for control of their recently-deceased matriarch’s estate. This exquisitely controlled mood piece erupts in a subversive final act in which class conventions, gender roles, and even time itself are upended with ferocity.

We hate to say it, but we can't find anywhere to view this film.

What are people saying?

Be the first to comment about this film.

What are critics saying?

The Film Stage by Glenn Heath Jr.

Chess of the Wind is a shining example of how familiar genres and tones can meld together to form something that feels brand new.

The New York Times by Glenn Kenny

Aslani pulls story threads together with an elegant moving camera that doesn’t immediately give up all the secrets a scene may contain.

100

RogerEbert.com by Godfrey Cheshire

Even measured against the Iranian and international cinematic treasures of the ‘70s, Aslani’s vision is still breathtakingly distinctive, an incisively devastating social critique embedded in a complex tale of intrigue, greed, oppression, and murder. The film is also, and perhaps most strikingly, a stylistic tour de force.

Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips

It’s somewhat challenging and methodical in its pacing, but if you respond to it — as I did — this ghost from Iran’s 1970s New Wave is a reason to give thanks.