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| An Inspiring Generation |
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| Watching films that are seen less frequently is really exciting at a time that prominent works of the 29th Fajr International Film Festival are getting the lion’s share of attention. The main reason I go to the festival is to watch the first and second movies made by young directors. I do the same in all international events because I am more fascinated by such films than those made by famous directors. I enjoyed watching Kahani’s first work, Adam. At that time, I was the only one to write about the film and its director. Now I am happy that Kahani is a famous filmmaker. There were many young names in this year’s festival.
Opposite Mirrors, the first film by Negar Azarbaijani, is about sex change and acceptable as a first film though not surprising. At least, her film is not as impressing as her brother’s work, Unfinished Stories. The sequence in which the girl encounters the female driver is too tedious. Even their relationship, which makes her film a road movie, is boring. The movie, however, shows that Azarbaijani is interested in working with novel themes in the Iranian cinema.
Golchehreh is the best film made by Vahid Mousaeian. His previous features, Wishes of the Land, Silence of the Sea, Solitude of the Wind and his documentary, The Lost Land, have been already screened at various international festivals. Golchehreh is about Afghan cinema and film archives which is characterized by good directing, set design, and professional acting. Although the story focuses on Afghanistan (all décors have been rebuilt in Iran), it can well be an international theme. The finale, where Ashraf Khan is executed in front of his movie theater’s screen by Taliban and its combination with final parts of Andrei Tarkovsky’s The Sacrifice, where Alexander sacrifices everything for his decision, is especially fascinating.
Mehrshad Karkhani focuses on abandoned movie theaters in Koocheh Melli. This is a film about love of cinema and its storyline is quite simple and predictable. It, however, manages to keep viewers along by combining love of cinema with true love. Of course, the search of two young couple for their past needs more detail. Their reaction on the day that their parents are going to meet after many years is also too simplistic. The final sequence where two old lovers meet at a distance is attractive. They are kept at a distance from the camera to conceal the secret of their love.
Mohammad Reza Arab made his first film, The Last Queen on the Earth, about Afghanistan. His new film, The Poor, is about difficulties of urban life. Arab proves that he knows this cinema, its people and their feelings and his next films should be taken more seriously. Of course, the film needs more details about three young men who steal something and are subsequently arrested by the police. Relations among characters are also vague. Good acting in The Poor has made it a worthwhile film.
Jamil Rostami, whose two previous films, Requiem of Snow and Jani Gal, depicted rustic locations, has made Eye in an urban environment. This is about problems faced by a couple and is more successful in relating to viewers. Bardia and Zhuan are facing problems in their marital life and to heat up their life, the man makes a dangerous decision. The finale where the woman dies is less than believable in view of the film’s overall trend which gives no clue as to nervousness of the woman.
Another prominent entry in this year’s festival was Reza Mirkarimi’s A Cube of Sugar. His previous film, As Simple as This was an international hit. It tells the story of a family in the central Iranian city of Yazd that is getting ready for the marriage of their daughter but comes across unexpected problems. Mirkarimi should be admired for his audacity as his simple film manages to keep viewers on their seats up to the last minute. Mirkarimi had already proved his finesse in taking advantage of a simple story. A Cube of Sugar lacks a well-built story and has many characters none of whom seem to be redundant. You can feel a good sense of living in this household as it reminds viewers of fading Iranian traditions and customs. It seems that this is the second episode of a trilogy which has been started with As Simple as This and we must wait for the third episode.
Abdolreza Kahani proved in Adam that he is looking for novel themes and an attractive film structure. He depicts a new facet of the Iranian urban life in Horse Is a Noble Animal. This bitter film is about homeless people who have no haven in a big city. The life of a few young people is told from the viewpoint of a police officer who, in fact, is a burglar on leave; as if they are bound to end in prison as thieves. Horse Is a Noble Animal should be considered Kahani’s first successful experience in making film without a clear story and all scenes have been shot in the dark. Although locations are not varied, good acting makes it an attractive film. Kahani has proven that his every film can be considered a special event in the Iranian cinema.
Rambod Javan has proven in his third feature No Men Allowed that he is quite familiar with satire and knows the difference between satire and cheap comedies. Unlike some comedy makers, he does not allow actors to do whatever they want. The film, which is expected to be a hit on public screening, is about confrontation between a surly female school principal and a good-humored male teacher. The confrontation leads to successful comic moments. Although the finale may not be very significant, it is not predictable either. The main feature of this film is a believable change in characters.
Watching films made by young filmmakers is always thrilling. Watching them along with such valuable films as Nader and Simin: A Separation (Asghar Farhadi) and Mahboub’s Sky (Dariush Mehrjui) can make every festival such a memorable experience. Films made by these young people are inspiring and pleasurable and are valuable enough to allow for missing some famous films
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Film International Magazine,Vol.65/66,Spring&Summer2011 |
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نظرات
Behnam
شنبه 12 شهريور 1390 - 19:21
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It sounds good movie I really love Negar Javaherian 's acting, as far as I know she's very selective, the good characteristic which is seen rarely in these days. And about Reza Mir Karimi, I like the way he makes film, pure and simple. Hope to see it Thanks
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