10 Best Iranian Movies to Watch

By Vlad Zakh · September 1, 2025

Iran Arthouse slow and atmospheric thought provoking

Iranian cinema works under some of the tightest censorship in the world and keeps getting smuggled into Cannes anyway. At its best it turns small domestic disputes into questions about truth, class and how far a state can control a life. A Separation and About Elly show it brilliantly, Holy Spider follows a journalist tracking a real serial killer of sex workers, and This Is Not a Film was shot partly on an iPhone by a director under house arrest. Two Women, Close-Up, Children of Heaven, Taste of Cherry, The White Balloon and The Salesman round out the list.

Holy Spider (2022)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A journalist investigates a real serial killer targeting sex workers in a holy city.

Directed by Ali Abbasi · 1h 58m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Pijama Films · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

This Is Not a Film (2011)

TMDB ★ 7.5

Shot partly on an iPhone by a director under house arrest, banned from making films at all.

Directed by Mojtaba Mirtahmasb & Jafar Panahi · 1h 18m

Where to watch

Stream: Kanopy

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

About Elly (2009)

TMDB ★ 7.9

A beach trip turns into a mystery when one guest vanishes and everyone starts to lie.

Directed by Asghar Farhadi · 1h 59m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Two Women (1999)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Two former classmates' diverging lives expose how differently Iranian society treats them.

Directed by Tahmine Milani · 1h 39m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The White Balloon (1995)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A little girl's quest to buy a goldfish becomes a whole neighbourhood's afternoon.

Directed by Jafar Panahi · 1h 25m

Where to watch

Stream: Criterion Channel

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Close-Up (1990)

TMDB ★ 8.1

A real impostor case restaged with the actual people involved, blurring fiction and fact.

Directed by Abbas Kiarostami · 1h 38m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Children of Heaven (1997)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 83% Metacritic 77

A poor Iranian boy hides the loss of his sister's shoes, so the two secretly share his own pair.

Directed by Majid Majidi · 1h 28m

Nominated for 1 Oscar18 wins & 5 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Taste of Cherry (1997)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A man drives around Tehran looking for someone to help him die, told with total restraint.

Directed by Abbas Kiarostami · 1h 39m

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Salesman (2016)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A theatre couple staging Death of a Salesman gets pulled into a real act of violence.

Directed by Asghar Farhadi · 2h 05m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Separation (2011)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 99% Metacritic 95

A couple's divorce drags their family into an escalating moral and legal dispute.

Directed by Asghar Farhadi · 2h 03m · Rated PG-13

Won 1 Oscar89 wins & 52 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

10 Best Iranian Movies to Watch

Holy Spider (2022)

This Is Not a Film (2011)

About Elly (2009)

Two Women (1999)

The White Balloon (1995)

Close-Up (1990)

Children of Heaven (1997)

Taste of Cherry (1997)

The Salesman (2016)

A Separation (2011)

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