Hello and welcome back to another installment of Movie and TV Reviews by yours truly. This week we’ll be looking at Radio Dreams, an Iranian film set in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California.

Known as the melting pot, America is home to people from many nations. Many come seeking better opportunities, while others arrive seeking asylum. Whatever the reason, they’ve left everything behind for a fresh start. These same immigrants often seek to recreate the customs and traditions that remind them of home, creating little pockets of community within the cities they now call home.

That is exactly the case in Radio Dreams.

The film touches on some serious topics, but at times it felt like the writers pulled the script straight out of an episode of The Office. The situations this merry band of radio station employees find themselves in are surprisingly comical. That being said, let’s get it!

The niche radio station PARS Radio Studios caters to its local Persian audience by broadcasting short stories, poetry, and other literary works. Somehow, producer Hamid manages to book both the famous Afghan rock band Kabul Dreams and the legendary metal band Metallica for the station.

Miss Maral, the savvy businesswoman of the group, takes full advantage of the publicity by bringing in sponsorships from clients that Hamid feels are beneath the station’s artistic standards. Naturally, chaos ensues.

Side note: I had no clue Kabul Dreams was a real band. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they actually exist, and you know what? They sound pretty good. I didn’t understand a word they were saying, but when has that ever mattered to me? Lol. If you get a chance, I think they’re worth checking out.

I know the story intentionally has Metallica show up late, but it was pretty crappy of them to do that. In fact, it’s even worse because they’re such a popular group. Not that the station’s regular programming isn’t interesting, but people were especially tuning in because of them. PARS Radio probably doesn’t get opportunities like this very often, so making such a big announcement only to have it fall through could have seriously hurt the station’s credibility.

Moral of the story: respect people’s time.

I think Radio Dreams successfully captures what it means to pursue your dreams. Though he can be a bit of an intellectual snob, Hamid has a clear vision for the station and works hard to bring it to life. At the same time, he fails to recognize that without Miss Maral’s “meaningless” commercials, the lights don’t stay on.

The same is true for Miss Maral. Without Hamid’s stories and programming, there is no show to sell.

Both characters need each other.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with working a 9-to-5 while building your dream. Sometimes that’s exactly what it takes. Keep working on your dream until it becomes your reality.

Anypoops, I give Radio Dreams 3 out of 5 rose petals.

Let me know what you think! Drop a like or leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading.