Majid Majidi’s films are never an easy watch for most moviegoers. Unless you have loads of patience, you will fail to appreciate his movies. Admittedly, Beyond the Clouds isn’t one of Majidi’s most beautiful works. Despite that, it is a wholly rewarding watch. At Film Comments, we see how the Iranian director yet again hits the bull’s eye in the Beyond the Clouds film review.
Beyond the Clouds does not start quite well, and twenty minutes into the movie, and you are still waiting for the leading pair of Ishaan Khattar and Malavika Mohanan to come into their own. Also, the makeup is particularly patchy here. After the lackluster first three-quarters of an hour or so, the film needs a spark to bring it to life.
With the advent of child actors, Majidi infuses not just vigor in the movie, but suddenly, the leads start appearing much better. Slow to get into its groove, Beyond the Clouds gets going around the hour mark. What we get from then on is, virtually, scene after scene of high-class cinema with Majidi back into his rhythm.
The narrative is at its peak as we approach the hour and a half mark. By this time, Beyond the Clouds is delivering every bit, and more, of what filmgoers have come to expect from Majidi’s films.
If anyone is the real star of Beyond the Clouds, it is the deft touches of the masterly-crafted interplay between the characters. And it is not merely words that are conveying emotions, even Ishaan Khattar and Malavika Mohanan are emoting quite well by now. A. R. Rehman’s score adds to the impeccable mise-en-scène.
As we move into the last half hour of the movie, Majidi doesn’t leave anything undone, and we see a near perfect finale. The ending doesn’t merely draw curtains to the evoking visuals and emotional tapestry, but it also has the viewer meditating upon leaving the theatre.
Not being among one of the finest of Majidi’s works, the realistic tone of the movie will still manage to keep most viewers engrossed. The only part where Majidi falters in Beyond the Clouds is probably the first hour when neither of the leads looks convincing, and the pace is somewhat sluggish.
Majidi tries with Beyond the Clouds to juggle with two parallel storylines that lend more complexity to the narrative than some of his earlier films. Although not entirely unrelated, as a whole, they aren’t as refined as some of his other works, which are more impressive in their visual and emotional appeal.
The portrayal of poverty and degradation besieging the slums is excellent. There is much more serenity in the apartment that Khattar’s character, Amir, inhabits for a significant part of the movie. This dichotomy between the two spaces is metaphorical of the two worlds that Amir grapples within his minds.
Beyond the Clouds comes as a refreshing breeze of middle-of-the-road cinema that is brimming with a rich narrative and Majidi’s style all over it.
Beyond the Clouds film review rates Beyond the Clouds 
(3.5 / 5)
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