What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Colonel
Mahmoud Dowlatabadi · Book · 2012
If you loved The Colonel, start with Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi, 2007) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Colonel across media.
If The Colonel gripped you, you will recognize these haunting portraits of individuals struggling to maintain their humanity under the crushing weight of institutionalized state oppression.
Films on the same thread
Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi · Film · 2007
Explores: Iranian Revolution, Loss of Innocence, Exile and Identity.
Like The Colonel, this story uses the personal lens of a family in Iran to expose the devastating toll that shifting political regimes and state-sponsored violence take on daily life.
The Conformist
Bernardo Bertolucci · Film · 1971
Explores: Fascism, Political Conformity, Moral Ambiguity.
You will find a similar exploration of the moral erosion caused by political conformity here, mirroring the dark psychological consequences of living under a regime seen in The Colonel.
The Pianist
Roman Polanski · Film · 2002
Explores: survival against the odds, dehumanization, loss of identity.
The Colonel depicts the struggle of the individual against state-sanctioned cruelty, a theme that resonates deeply in this survival story where one man fights to preserve his dignity and art.
The Turin Horse
Béla Tarr · Film · 2011
Explores: Despair, Mortality, Poverty.
Much like the atmosphere of despair and isolation in The Colonel, this film captures the slow, inevitable disintegration of life when confronted with an uncaring and brutal existence.
Series on the same thread
The Clone
Glória Perez · Series · 2001
Explores: Forbidden Love, Cultural Clash, Identity Crisis.
While the setting differs, you will see the same tension between individual identity and the rigid demands of cultural and political systems that defined the struggle in The Colonel.
The Bureau
Éric Rochant · Series · 2015
Explores: Undercover Operations, Moral Ambiguity, Identity.
The Colonel highlights the dangerous intersection of clandestine politics and personal ruin, a dynamic that drives this thriller as agents navigate the moral ambiguity of life within the intelligence services.
Chernobyl
Craig Mazin · Series · 2019
Explores: Nuclear Disaster, Government Cover-Up, Sacrifice.
The Colonel examines the cyclical nature of political trauma, a theme mirrored here as the podcast dissects the repeating patterns of power dynamics and societal collapse across various historical revolutions.
The Handmaid's Tale
Bruce Miller · Series · 2017
Shares a thread with The Colonel: Oppression.
Both this narrative and The Colonel vividly depict the experience of living under a fundamentalist dictatorship where the state exerts total control over the bodies and lives of its citizens.
Podcasts on the same thread
Revolutions
Mike Duncan · Podcast · 2025
Explores: societal collapse, power dynamics, cyclical history.
If The Colonel hit, Revolutions shares the thread.
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra
Rachel Maddow, MS NOW · Podcast · 2026
Explores: Authoritarianism, Domestic Espionage, Threats to Democracy.
This investigation into authoritarianism echoes the concerns about political corruption and threats to democracy that make the characters in The Colonel feel so trapped by the systems around them.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Colonel available to purchase in Iran?
No, The Colonel is currently banned in Iran. Despite being written by a master of Iranian letters, the political nature of the content led to a prohibition of the book within the country, making it impossible to purchase or distribute legally there.
Did The Colonel receive any literary awards?
Yes, The Colonel received significant critical recognition. It was named the winner of the 2013 Jan Michalski Prize. Additionally, the novel was longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize, highlighting its impact and importance in contemporary international literature.
How long did it take to write The Colonel?
The Colonel was a long-term project for the author, Mahmoud Dowlatabadi. It took ten years of writing to complete the novel. This extensive period reflects the depth and intensity of the narrative as it engages with the history and politics of the Iranian people.
What is the primary focus of The Colonel?
The Colonel tells the story of a tortured people living under successive oppressive regimes in Iran. It is a fearless novel that directly engages with the politics of the country, beginning on a dark, rainy night to depict the struggles of the characters within that environment.