My God, I could make a better movie if I just focused a camera on my *lawn* for two hours!! This movie makes "Solaris" (the supposed Russian "answer" to 2001...NOT!) look like "Fast and the Furious!!!" (Speaking strictly of attention-getting ability and excitement level, of course). I saw no evidence that the dullard soldier gained any kind of "insight" whatsoever! He was basically Forrest Gump's younger, dumber, brother.The final scene was reminiscent of "Sling Blade." The moron just sits and stares, none the wiser, still an idiot."Spoiler??" There was nothing to *spoil* but I checked the box just in case.Maybe Iran thinks they can show "Fundamentalist Islam with a Happy Face" but one look at the woman in a black head covering and cape when it's probably *90 Degrees* outside tells you all you need to know.By the way, just what WERE the two soldiers "guarding" against? Invasion, perhaps from the "Great Satan?" One burst from a 20mm chain gun and they'd be so much falafel.I need a drink! :>)

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.

"Secret Ballot" certainly takes its time with each scene, but is quite satisfying by the end. It is as close to surrealism as I've seen recently. The music during the credits is beautiful.

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.