Yalda

Think Slum Dog Millionaire, but in Iran, and with a true crime show instead of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Yalda, The Night of Forgiveness is based on a real reality show in Iran where a person close to a victim can choose to forgive--or not--the killer of their loved one. Oh yeah, and the criminal has been sentenced to be hanged... And the forgiveness has legal ramifications. A young woman found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to death has to confront the adult daughter of the man she'd married and who was old enough to be her father. Intrigue, suspense, drama... There's never a slow moment. The well paced tale moves along smoothly and the idea of the reality show framing the story of the murder is excellent. Yalda may not qualify as a serious art film, but this indie flick (which won the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance festival) proves that Iran can make an entertaining movie.