It is difficult to pinpoint Iranian-born director Parvis Sayyad's point of view in Checkpoint, but perhaps this is intentional. Set in 1980 during the Iran hostage crisis, the film is set on the U.S.-Canadian border. A busload of college students is detained by the authorities, who take their sweet time checking out the visas of the eight Iranian students on board. As this minor irritation blossoms into a full-scale confrontation, the Iranian students begin taking sides and espousing their individual ideologies. Dogmatic but undeniably involving, the American-financed Checkpoint was first shown at the Locarno Film Festival.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide