The Jar (1992) User Reviews

A great movie

[sbekam · 8/10 · 12 March 2009]

It took me over 15 years to get a chance to watch this movie. I heard about The Jar when it first came out to the international market back in 94 at the time when other Persian directors were making a move into the International market (directors such as Bahram Beizai, Daryoush Mehrjui, Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Abbas Kiarostami). Ebrahim Forouzesh a writer before the 79 Iranian revolution became a director and made some good movies. The Jar is one of the best of his work I have seen so far. The movie has a very simple story about a teacher and his students taking place during the previous regime of Iran and happening in an area that no one knows about or cares about. The village people are all talk and no action (typical Iranian attitude) except this woman who is labeled as crazy by the village master who not only does not help to repair/replace the broken jar, he tries to stop the process as well. Ebrahim Forouzesh and all crew members have done a great job.

One of the best movie i've ever seen. This JAR is a pearl!

[junior-17 · 10/10 · 19 October 1999]

THE JAR proves two things: 1)iranian cinema is really great and 2)it's possible to make a great movie without much money since you've got a good writing. The Jar is a touching movie. Imagine a school from a poor village in the middle of the iranian desert. Now, imagine a extraordinary teacher - a sensitive and sensible young man. One day, children realize the water jar (from where they get water to drink) is broken. The teacher has a hard fight to fix the jar and begins to know the real face of that people. IF YOU WANT TO SEE A GREAT MOVIE, HOLD ON THIS JAR.

Better rent some Kurostami instead

[anniefischer-03795 · 30 January 2019]

Although I enjoy foreign films and Iranian films are known to be critically acclaimed The Jar is a hopelessly boring and pretentious tripe masquerading as something meaningful. A children's school in the Iranian desert has a large water jar in the yard that allows students easy access for drinks (the alternative being a short walk to a nearby brook). When the jar develops a crack, the children, their teacher, and the community as a whole band together to find an alternative. First, attempts are made to patch the leak. When that doesn't work, a collection is taken to buy a new jar. This is basically the entire storyline. Along the way, a few stabs are made at developing a relationship between the teacher and his pupils. The acting is bad and the pacing is off.