Is Jenayat-e bi Deghat based on a true story?

The film's premise echoes the 1978 Cinema Rex fire in Abadan, though Mokri presents it as a fictional, character-driven story. It is not a direct dramatization but the historical resonance is hard to ignore for Iranian viewers.

Koja mishe filme Jenayat-e bi Deghat ro online did?

You can stream it on K-Time — available on the web at ktime.app, on your TV, and on your Android phone. No VPN needed, works worldwide for the Iranian diaspora.

Does this film have English subtitles or Persian dub?

The film streams in original Persian audio on K-Time. English subtitles may be available depending on the version; the film does not have a Persian dub as it is an original Persian-language production.

Chand daghighe-e? Is the 139-minute runtime worth it?

At 139 minutes, the pacing is deliberate and controlled. Viewers who appreciate slow-burn Iranian art cinema — think Farhadi or Panahi — will find the patience rewarded. It is not an action film; it is a study in complicity.

Jenayat-e bi Deghat

Name: Jenayat-e bi Deghat
Genre: Drama
Released: 2021
Duration: 139 min
Cast: Babak Karimi, Siavash Cheraghipour, Mohammad Sareban, Behzad Dorani, Elaheh Bakhshi

Director: Shahram Mokri

Cast: Babak Karimi, Siavash Cheraghipour, Mohammad Sareban, Behzad Dorani, Elaheh Bakhshi

Jenayat-e bi Deghat (Crime Without Punishment) is a 2021 Iranian drama film directed by Shahram Mokri, running 139 minutes. Set against an everyday backdrop that suddenly ruptures into collective violence, it is one of the most unsettling works to emerge from contemporary Iranian cinema.

What is Jenayat-e bi Deghat about?

On what appears to be a perfectly unremarkable afternoon, four individuals from entirely different walks of life converge on an ordinary decision: to set fire to a cinema full of people watching a film. The narrative withholds easy explanations, placing viewers inside the cold mechanics of group complicity rather than dwelling on motivation. As the plan takes shape with quiet, almost bureaucratic efficiency, the film strips back social norms layer by layer, asking how ordinary people arrive at extraordinary acts of harm. The ending refuses catharsis, leaving the weight of what has been witnessed entirely with the audience.

Cast & crew

The film stars Babak Karimi — one of Iranian cinema's most trusted character actors, known for his work with Asghar Farhadi — alongside Siavash Cheraghipour, Mohammad Sareban, Behzad Dorani, Elaheh Bakhshi, Adel Yaraghi, Abolfazl Kahani, and Razieh Mansouri. Director Shahram Mokri brings a disciplined, formally precise hand to the ensemble, coaxing restrained, unnervingly natural performances from the entire cast.

Context & significance

Shahram Mokri occupies a distinctive corner of Iranian art cinema — his earlier work Fish and Cat (2013) was notable for its single long-take structure, and he returns here to questions of collective guilt and moral diffusion. For diaspora viewers who grew up watching Iranian social drama, Jenayat-e bi Deghat lands differently: the cinema-burning premise carries a specific historical resonance tied to the 1978 Cinema Rex fire in Abadan, an event that marked the final rupture before the Revolution. Whether or not Mokri intends a direct allegory, that shadow is present for any Iranian viewer, making the film both a psychological study and a piece of cultural memory refracted through fiction.

Where & how to watch

Jenayat-e bi Deghat is available on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch on the web, your TV, or your phone — no VPN required, no geo-blocking, and no extra download needed. Start and cancel anytime.