Persian Lessons

Directed by Vadim Perelman
Theatrical Release Date December 31, 2023
Run Time 127 min

Occupied France, 1942. Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) is arrested by SS soldiers alongside other Jews and sent to a camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids sudden execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, but Gilles gets assigned a life-or-death mission: to teach Farsi to Head of Camp Koch (Lars Eidinger), who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over. Through an ingenious trick, Gilles manages to survive by inventing words of "Farsi" every day and teaching them to Koch. The particular relationship between the two men sparks the jealousy of other prisoners and SS guards towards Gilles. And while the suspicions of Koch grow every day, Gilles understands that he will not be able to keep his secret very long...

Name Role
Vadim Perelman Director
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart Gilles
Lars Eidinger Klaus Koch
Jonas Nay Max
David Schütter Paul
Alexander Beyer Camp Commandant
Andreas Hofer Adjutant von Dewitz
Country Belarus
Languages German, Farsi, French, Italian, English
Subtitles Yes
Run time 127 min
Year Completed 2020
Press Notes