Low Heights (2002)

Memorable, crazy movie

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Flights got canceled worldwide on September 11, 2001. Ebrahim Hatamikia's "Ertefa'e Past" ("Low Heights" in English) depicts one proceeding. And what happens aboard this particular plane while affect the passengers for the rest of their lives. To be certain, what happens at the end looks as if it evokes the path that the world was going to take as a result of 9/11.Leila Hatami (of "A Separation") plays the wife. The character looks delicate, but her exterior hides a tough side. A person would have to be tough to get through what's gone on in these people's lives before the flight. I particularly liked some of the camera angles that the movie uses to tell the story. I recommend the movie.PS: Co-writer Asghar Farhadi went on to direct "A Separation".

I watched this movie on DVD that I had purchased a while back.This is the first movie by Ebraheim Hatamikia that I really understood. His first couple of movies were all about the Iran-Iraq war and did not get to me as much. But Ertefae Past was something different. I is a great movie especially if you are a little bit familiar with the people from South-Western region of Iran. The character of the mother was played well. Ghassem, the main male character did an excellent job. It was evident that the director had to deal with a lot of limitation imposed on him by censors. He did a great job addressing issues and viewpoints of different characters.

Hi all I think in order to talk about "low height" we must first be familiar with the Iranian culture and current political and social condition of Iran. Unfortunately I see the comments that says: "we laugh in the film with no reason". But I should that, each of the film's dialogs and each of the film's snapshot, remember us to the one notation of the Iranians culture; that if you aren't familiar with the Iranian culture, surely can't understand them. May be the only weakness of the film was this:"the film is excellent, but only for Iranian people that can understand the film". It means that the film isn't an international film. When I saw the film, I can't do anything until about two day's. I just think about the message of the film, the message of the director. Be sure that if you was familiar with the Iranian's culture, so you can found the message's of the film too. Finally I should say that, Hatamikia is a director that make films for that his country man, not worlds people. So it may be a weakness or a strong point of his work. Sandy Scott

A sad tale about the harshness of reality and what a desperate person would do. I have to say that this movie has some good points and good acting, but relies too much on it's extra "tear" jerking melodrama. It could have been a much better short film. I didn't enjoy it at all, or even feel anything toward the characters because it was too forced on us as a viewer, and at times the shift of character too sudden and thus unbelievable.The kindness, the loyalty and patriotism was all too dramatized, taking it completely out of bound. So by pushing and spoon feeding us these feelings the whole taste of the film was corrupted leaving us with no room for our own judgement of character. Where we should have been on the main character's side we end up thinking he is stupid. Then again maybe that is what the director wanted us to think of his main hero.