For his sixth Iranian film,"Manuscripts Don't Burn" Mohammad Rasoulof chose to highlight the difficult lives of intellectuals in Iran.His film shows the extent to which certain intellectuals notably writers are forced by government authorities to remain silent in order to avoid becoming a major embarrassment to the government.This is one easy angle used by many to watch this film.The film also suggests that the persecution of people who are against government is not restricted to any particular country.It is a global phenomenon.Although this film starts as a hurried thriller,it chooses to change its narrative content in the subsequent parts as audiences are led to witness intense psychological games of oneupmanship.There is a good description of all kinds of mind games being played by intellectuals and their rivals.One learns that intellectuals are not easy to crack as they use all their might to tackle any use of force by their rivals.The unique thing about this film is Rasoulof's decision to view human beings as vulnerable to folly as two killers are shown to confront their own personal problems. Despite its run time of 125 minutes,'Manuscripts don't burn" is honest in its depiction of Iranian intellectuals who are constantly being watched by pro government authorities.Lastly,it is just a wonder that such a film was made under extremely difficult conditions.It is now for audiences all over the world to ensure that it gets a major success.