I really enjoyed the movie, I found there to be a lot of depth in what would seem at first like a shallow scene. Like the previous commenter said, there is a lot of visually appealing content, and beautifully framed shots. There are a couple of obvious blunders that, although cheapen the acting a little, give it a much more humble, true to life appeal. I am not a big fan of Hollywood though, so it was right up my alley. I also really enjoyed the sort of "all access" peek into what this culture is like, and I actually learned a couple of things. Overall, the movie takes place in what seems like nearly real time (even though that is not possible); really, overall, it spans about 9 hours of a single day. I found the dialog to be a tad bit short (somewhat confusing at times), but most likely its just authentic if anything. Like the summary says, it's a great concept and it's got some great high points, but for many people it might just move too slowly to keep their attention.

For what it's worth, if I'd been head of programming, I wouldn't have shown this film around 2 p.m., even though these days it seems we just should be glad to see this sort of film on TV in the first place. Set your video recorders if it's shown again. I know I will, if only because I missed the first 20 minutes.Secret Ballot (or Raye Makhfi) is the story of a woman who travels to an island to get the inhabitants' votes. A soldier is told to accompany the election agent while she does her job. At first he's surprised to find out she's a woman, but they learn to appreciate each other.Even though the political and feminist points of the film are powerful, in the end it's the visual style that's the biggest reason one should stay watching. There's a lot of candy you can treat your eyes to, from the camera work to the nearly surrealistic scenes (the ballot box dropping, the traffic lights).Directed by Babak Payami and from an idea by the legendary Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Secret Ballot may lack essential elements to be called a masterpiece, but it's a very good movie with visual flair and a message that should be heard. It should be seen.

While slow moving, Secret Ballot is a delightfully wry look at the absurdity of voting, and the often harrowing futility of government. Following a dim witted guard and the election official he has been charged with protecting on Election Day, we see the official's increasingly futile attempts to get a largely apathetic group of locals to realise that voting makes a difference.Set against centuries of tradition, local conditions and voter indifference Secret Ballot is a movie with its tongue firmly planted in cheek, while at the same time highlighting some very real problems with government. Its lessons not only apply to the situations in the movie, but the viewer can draw interesting parallels to any system of government around the world.A tad long - especially with the DOP's penchant for lingering long distance shots that keep the viewer at arms length for some possibly interesting scenes, Secret Ballot is however though an interesting film with something to say.

I just saw this film on the Vienna film festival and found it one of the most lovable comedies ever. It tells about a female voting agent who comes to the middle of nowhere to collect the votes on election day. There, she is faced with lack of interest from the "citizens" and other unexpected problems. Not to mention a local soldier who doesn't like at all that he has to carry her around by car instead of chasing smugglers... The humor of the film is lovely and attains sometimes satirical and even philosophical depth, regarding the futility and inherent senselessness of the voting agent's work in this environment.A highly watchable and recommendable film, even for those who are not very familiar with Iranian cinema, because the pacing of the story never becomes too slow for European viewers.