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Synopsis
Taleye Khargosh (2025) – A Haunting Dive into the Shadows of the Human Mind
Film Tarsnak Taleye Khargosh – Doble Farsi فیلم تله خرگوش دوبله فارسی – Watch on FilmeFarsi
the music they make disturbs local ancient folk magic, bringing a nameless to their door who is intent on infiltrating their lives.
Few films in recent years have managed to combine mystery, psychological terror, and emotional depth as gracefully as Taleye Khargosh (2025). Directed by the visionary Iranian filmmaker Arash Khademi, this hauntingly beautiful psychological thriller explores the blurred line between sanity and obsession. With its delicate balance of fear, symbolism, and narrative tension, Taleye Khargosh has quickly earned a reputation as one of the year’s most compelling films.
A Mysterious Tale Set in a World of Shadows
At its core, Taleye Khargosh is a story about loss, guilt, and the fragile state of the human psyche. The film follows Leila (Nazanin Riahi), a reclusive art restorer living alone in an abandoned countryside mansion. Her quiet life takes a dark turn when she receives a mysterious painting titled The Eye of the Rabbit — a surreal depiction of a staring rabbit eye that seems to follow her around the house.
As Leila begins to restore the painting, she starts experiencing hallucinations and disturbing dreams involving a faceless child, a whispering voice, and distorted reflections in mirrors. What begins as mild paranoia soon escalates into a full psychological breakdown. The deeper she digs into the painting’s origin, the more she uncovers about her own buried trauma — leading to an unforgettable and chilling finale.
Khademi masterfully blends elements of mystery, horror, and thriller genres, weaving a narrative that keeps viewers on edge from start to finish.
Direction and Atmosphere: Minimalism Meets Madness
Arash Khademi, best known for his minimalist yet emotionally charged storytelling, directs Taleye Khargosh with precision and restraint. His ability to build tension through silence and subtle gestures is reminiscent of early Polanski or Kieslowski. Instead of relying on cheap jump scares, Khademi uses lighting, sound design, and framing to immerse the viewer in Leila’s deteriorating mind.
Cinematographer Farhad Moradi paints the film in cold, muted tones — with occasional bursts of red and blue that symbolize both danger and revelation. The visual style of Taleye Khargosh is both claustrophobic and poetic, capturing the beauty of decay and the horror of self-discovery. Each shot feels meticulously composed, reinforcing the idea that the house itself is a living, breathing entity — one that feeds on Leila’s secrets.
Performances: A Triumph of Subtle Emotion
Nazanin Riahi delivers a career-defining performance as Leila. Her portrayal is restrained yet raw, allowing viewers to feel every flicker of fear and doubt. Her gradual transformation from calm composure to complete psychological unraveling is executed with remarkable authenticity.
Supporting performances also stand out. Saeed Amini plays Reza, a local historian who helps Leila uncover the painting’s origins. His quiet charm and hidden motives add another layer of intrigue to the story. Meanwhile, Mona Farrokhzad as the mysterious child apparition is both terrifying and heartbreaking — an embodiment of innocence lost.
It’s the kind of cast synergy that’s rare in genre cinema, where performances often take a backseat to spectacle. Here, every actor contributes meaningfully to the film’s emotional and thematic texture.
Themes and Symbolism: The Eye as a Mirror to the Soul
Beneath its surface-level scares, Taleye Khargosh is a profound meditation on guilt, perception, and the nature of reality. The “eye” in the title symbolizes not only the ever-watchful gaze of conscience but also the way trauma observes and shapes one’s identity.
Khademi draws heavily on Persian myth and surrealist imagery to blur the lines between myth and madness. The rabbit, traditionally a symbol of innocence, becomes a haunting metaphor for curiosity — and the consequences of delving too deeply into forbidden memories.
Viewers familiar with psychological thrillers like Black Swan or The Babadook will find echoes of those works here, yet Taleye Khargosh carves out its own cultural and emotional territory. It’s deeply rooted in Iranian storytelling traditions while maintaining universal resonance.
Cinematography, Sound, and Editing: Craft at Its Finest
The film’s technical achievements deserve special mention. Moradi’s cinematography uses mirrors, narrow hallways, and slow pans to convey Leila’s growing paranoia. The editing by Sara Nezami is sharp and rhythmic, often disorienting viewers just enough to share Leila’s confusion without losing narrative coherence.
Equally impressive is the sound design — creaking floors, distant whispers, and the faint heartbeat that accompanies certain scenes all add to the film’s immersive horror. Composer Reza Tavassoli’s haunting score combines traditional Persian instruments with ambient electronic tones, creating an unsettling atmosphere that lingers long after the credits roll.
Reception and Critical Response
Since its premiere at the Tehran International Film Festival, Taleye Khargosh has been praised for its originality and emotional depth. International critics have compared it to the works of David Lynch and Lars von Trier for its dreamlike narrative and psychological realism. On IMDb, early audience reviews highlight the film’s artistry and the power of Riahi’s performance, calling it “a slow-burning descent into madness that feels both personal and universal.”
Final Verdict: A Psychological Masterpiece
Taleye Khargosh isn’t just a horror film — it’s a cinematic experience that crawls under your skin and refuses to leave. With its hypnotic visuals, layered performances, and emotionally resonant storytelling, it stands as one of the most thought-provoking thrillers of 2025.
Arash Khademi has crafted a film that invites multiple interpretations, encouraging audiences to confront their own fears and suppressed memories. It’s intelligent, terrifying, and deeply human — everything great cinema should be.
If you’re a fan of atmospheric storytelling and psychological suspense, Taleye Khargosh is not to be missed. And if you’re eager to explore more films that blur the lines between mystery, horror, and thriller, check out similar titles on FilmeFarsi.com.
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