Chicken with Plums

Set in Tehran in the late 1950s, Chicken with Plums follows Nasser-Ali Khan, a celebrated violin virtuoso who loses his will to live after his cherished instrument is destroyed during a quarrel with his wife. Convinced that no replacement can restore what he has lost, he takes to his bed and resolves to wait for death, drifting through memories of his youth, his music and a love he was never allowed to pursue.

The film was directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, who also wrote the screenplay, adapting Satrapi's own graphic novel. It is the second feature the pair directed together, following Persepolis in 2007. Mathieu Amalric plays Nasser-Ali, with Golshifteh Farahani as Irâne, Édouard Baer as Azraël, Maria de Medeiros, Isabella Rossellini and Éric Caravaca among a credited cast of thirty-five. Hengameh Panahi produced the Germany-Belgium-France co-production on a budget of about 10 million dollars.

Released in October 2011, the film earned roughly 3 million dollars worldwide, well below its budget. On IMDb it holds a 7 out of 10 rating from around 190 votes, while the critics' score stands at 6.8 out of 10 from 70 reviews, placing the two measures close together.