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Ali and Nino

Ali and Nino

Movie · 2016 · 16 people

Asif Kapadia directed Ali and Nino, a British-Azerbaijani romantic drama made in 2016, from a screenplay by Christopher Hampton; it is based on the 1937 novel of the same name by the author known under the pen name Kurban Said. Produced by Kris Thykier, it had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2016.

The story is set in Azerbaijan on the eve of the First World War. The love between Ali Khan Javanshir, an Azerbaijani Muslim, and Nino Kipiani, a Georgian Christian, runs up against the limits drawn by their families, their faiths and the society around them. Adam Bakri plays Ali and María Valverde plays Nino. Mandy Patinkin (Duke Kipiani) and Connie Nielsen (Duchess Kipiani) play Nino's parents, and the Turkish actor Halit Ergenç is also in the cast. The novel's contrasts between East and West, Islam and Christianity, age and youth, and men and women shape the film too, and the search for truth and reconciliation recurs as a theme.

Shooting took place largely in Turkey and Azerbaijan, with Gökhan Tiryaki as cinematographer. The production, running about 100 minutes, mixes English, Russian and Azerbaijani.

DirectorAsif Kapadia

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Cast

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Halit Ergenç Halit Ergenç Actor · 56 years old Fatali Khan Khoyski María Valverde Adam Bakri Connie Nielsen Mandy Patinkin Numan Acar Numan Acar Film actor · 52 years old Seyid Mustafa Riccardo Scamarcio Fəxrəddin Manafov Nigar Güləhmədova Parviz Gurbanov Deniz Taceddin Xumar Səlimova Mehriban Zəki Pərviz Məmmədrzayev Cövdət Şükürov Ekin Koç Ekin Koç Actor · 34 years old Mehmed

Through different eyes

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Ali and Nino treats Azerbaijan on the eve of the First World War as a threshold where cultures, faiths and languages meet. The love between a Muslim Azerbaijani and a Christian Georgian carries the novel's tension between East and West, tradition and change, into a personal story. Having English, Russian and Azerbaijani spoken side by side also nods to the region's multilingual reality. For Turkish viewers it is notable, too, that this part of the world takes center stage in an international production, which is not often the case. Squeezing the novel's layered debate about identity into a single feature, however, risks leaving some of those contrasts at the level of symbol.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Christopher Hampton's script fits the novel's broad world of ideas onto the skeleton of a classic thwarted-love drama. That keeps the story tidy, but at the cost of reducing much of the novel's argument to the relationship between two young people. Cinematographer Gökhan Tiryaki's use of locations in Turkey and Azerbaijan is, to my mind, one of the film's strongest assets; the landscape makes the boundaries separating the characters felt visually too. More debatable is the language balance: in a co-production using three languages, which language the characters speak in which scene bears the marks of a compromise between authenticity and international reach. Asif Kapadia has made a careful period drama, but it does not always rise to the novel's daring.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humor and heart.

Ali and Nino is a serious romantic drama in which family and religious differences set limits on two young people's love. Its message is a good one: the search for truth and reconciliation. But it isn't one for small children; the subject is heavy, and since the film is spoken in several languages, you may need to follow subtitles. It suits high-school-age teens and adults, especially those curious about other cultures. Spotting Halit Ergenç in the cast may also catch the interest of older family members.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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