OFFSIDE (PERSIAN) (2006)

In Iran, women are not allowed as audience in sporting events which is preserved as exclusive domain of men. A group of soccer loving girls, dressed as boys,  try to sneak into a football stadium to witness a match of their national team. The movie captures the events that unfold when they are caught by the police.

A sports comedy centered on women in Iran is something that could well be in the realm of the impossible. Yet, noted director Jafar Panahi presents a sharp and layered snapshot of the contemporary Iranian society, condition of their women wallowing under the strict controls placed on them by the theocracy and the multiple - often ridiculous - ironies of such edicts, laced with oodles of humour. 

This movie benefits immensely from the fact that it was shot in real settings of the stadium with Iran playing Bahrain in a World Cup qualifier. Consequently, the entire movie has a festive and electric spirit which is matched by the sheer spunk of some of the girls who are diehard fans of the game. 

Just like a tense football match between two evenly matched sides, the movie grabs attention from the first minute and does not let go till its very last as Panahi mines comic gold at almost every turn of events and crafts a narrative with a natural, yet unpredictable flow. 

It won a silver bear in Berlinale besides many other laurels.

RATING - 4/5

AN EL CLASSICO INDEED !

PS - Streaming on Prime Video

THE PATIENCE STONE (aka SYNGUE SABOUR) (PERSIAN) (2013)

Noted Afghan born writer/director Atiq Rahimi adapts his own prize-winning novel to a screen drama in The Patience Stone.

It is the story a nameless Muslim Woman (Golshifteh Farahani) caught in the cusp of a fierce war zone in an unnamed country (what could probably be Afghanistan). She is tending to her much aged husband (nameless gain), a wounded warrior who is presently in a vegetative state with no apparent sign of life or senses. Early in the movie when the onset of war is obvious, she packs off her two children to a safe haven. However, she is forced to stay on to look after her husband. A husband whom she had not met even after her marriage. She married a photograph of him as he was fighting for the cause. 

On his return, the husband turns out to be an oppressive and conservative person in stark contrast to all her dreams. Now, on finding him in a comatose deaf-mute state, she, for the first time since her marriage, feels a surge of freedom. She sees him as the titular mythological Syngue Sabour or The Patience Stone to which one can pour one's heart out without any inhibitions. She feels herself recounting to him her deepest feelings and secrets to a great cathartic and therapeutic effect.

The movie, in most part, is a monologue, by the woman played by Golshifteh Farahani, confiding her secrets to her husband. The marvellous actress delivers a stellar performance which is the keystone holding the entire movie together. In a performance that straddles a whole spectrum of emotions, she forges an immediate and  compelling connect with the viewers and keeps them emotionally invested in the story. 

Writer/Director Atiq Rahimi provides snapshots of the social and political conditions of the region. While Farahani's narrative reveals the ultra conservative male dominated society with little, if any, freedom or respect for women, her travails during the ongoing war point to the existential crisis that hounds the populace there. 

A VERY  GOOD WATCH !!

THE PAST (aka LE PASSE) (FRENCH/PERSIAN) (2013)

In "The Past", his French language debut, noted Iranian director Asghar Farhadi presents an intense family drama set in Paris. A divorce is at the heart of this movie as in, his 2011 movie, A Separation, which won Iran's first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Movie.

Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) is an Iranian who comes to Paris to settle his divorce with Marie, a French pharmacist. Marie (Bernice Bejo, from The Artist) and Ahmad have been separated for four years.  Soon after his arrival, Marie informs Ahmad of her plans to marry Samir (Tahir Rahim), an Arab laundromat owner and that they are also expecting a child. Marie has two daughters from an earlier marriage - Lucie, a sullen teenager and the younger Lea. Samir has a wife who is in coma after an attempted suicide and a young son, Fouad. After the hospitalisation of his wife, Samir and Fouad have moved in with Marie. While the young Lea sees a similar-aged playmate in Fouad, Lucie cold shoulders Samir and hates her mother for rushing into a marriage with him. Lucie, however, shares a warmer relationship with Ahmad, her earlier stepfather. Ahmad finds himself playing the mediator between various players and in the process, gradually unravels a secret that puts all the players on the brink.

Farhadi presents an intricately woven drama and draws the viewers ever so deep into the unfolding events. His characters - each with their deep flaws, guilt, vulnerabilities, doubts and emotional baggage from their past - are very real in their attempts to grapple with their situations. Their struggle to disentangle their present and construct a clear future is clouded by the events from their past which threaten to unravel their plans. Are they to permanently remain the prisoners of their past and mistakes committed therein ? Or, can they find a way to disentangle their present and forge new and happier ties that they seek ? Farhadi explores these questions and more in this intricately constructed narrative structured as a socio-emotional thriller. 
Farhadi shows a keen eye in his attention to details (as in the case of Marie's house where most of the drama unfolds across several rooms) and brilliance in his intelligent metaphors which serve as subtle markers to the future events including the initial meeting of Marie and Ahmad across a glass wall at the airport, their clumsy attempt to back their car from parking as well as the manner of title appearing on the windscreen of the car that is wiped away or even in Ahmad agreeing to clear up the mess of spilt paint.

The film benefits a great deal from the fact that Farhadi employs a solid cast that is strikingly beautiful and have enough acting chops for playing these complex characters and they have put in remarkable performances which makes the drama connect to the viewers. Ali Mosaffa is exceptional as the Ahmad, a man trying find some calm after finding himself unsuspectingly drawn into the middle of a raging storm of relationships of his estranged family and Tahir Rahim plays the brooding Samir with an assured subtlety. However, it is Bernice Bejo who packs in a powerful performance as the enigmatic and the fierce Marie whose present is caught between her past grievances and the future questions. Her performance has already received a well deserved Best Actress award at the Cannes last year. Farhadi also draws wonderful performances from his younger cast, especially Pauline Burlet who plays an angry, yet helpless Lucie who is disenchanted with the situation she finds herself in and Elyes Aguis  as Fouad who is torn between the comatose mother he loves and mother imposed upon him.

The Past is an engaging family drama which underscores the dynamics of dysfunctional families and their effects on the children who are often ignored in the confrontations between the adults of the family. With The Past, Asghar Farhadi has reinforced his position as a master in presenting intricately crafted human dramas populated by nuanced, real characters which have universal appeal. Kudos !!

A MUST WATCH !! 

HUSH ! GIRLS DON'T SCREAM (aka HISS DOKHTARHA FARYAQD NEMIZANAND) (PERSIAN) (2013)

It is her wedding night and her groom is eagerly awaiting her arrival with bated breath along with the guests. Alas, he is as stunned as the gathered guests when the bride, Shirin Naeimi (Tannaz Tabatabayi), arrives with blood splattered on her otherwise spotless white bridal gown. Shortly thereafter, Shirin is arrested for murder of a man who appears to be a complete stranger. While Shirin confesses to the crime before the investigators, she is reluctant to say anything more on her reasons for the same. Shirin's troubled parents engage a lawyer to save her from what appears to be a certain conviction and the resultant, capital punishment. Meanwhile Shirin's fianceè is dazed after the shocking events of the wedding night and finds himself under severe backlash from his family who had opposed the marriage in the first place. He feels let down by Shirin and abhors her for it. Yet, he continues to be in love with her. Shirin, despite feeling deep love for him, remains a prisoner of her circumstances and more critically, of her past. Seemingly resigned to her fate after confessing to her crime, she withdraws into a shell and stonewalls further questions - by the investigators as well her lawyer - with a loud silence.

Is the dead man actually a stranger to Shirin ? Did Shirin actually kill him and if so, why did she resort to such an extreme measure on her wedding night ? Why did she confess to the crime ? Having confessed, why has she remained silent ?The rest of the movie explains her pitiful predicament in a non-linear narrative which alternates between her past and the present which is in parts a thriller as well as a courtroom drama.

Tannaz Tabatabayi delivers a fine performance that strikes the right note to convey the anguish and emotional turmoil of Shirin. Derekshandeh presents a gripping narrative and refrains from posturing or preaching even as she peppers the film with subtle touches, be it the behavioural nuances of Shirin such as her fidgeting, fearful blink on facing the flash of a camera or even the silent solidarity expressed by Shirin's fellow inmates.

Any murder is an abominable crime which calls for swift and severe punishment to the perpetrator. But, how would one punish a crime when it involves the murder of a person's soul where there are no dead bodies to find nor a complaint is registered ?  What does one make of a crime where the accused remains scot free while the victims are hauled over the coals ?

Iranian director Pouran Derakshandeh's Hush! Girls Don't Scream ! addresses a very relevant and often ignored horror that haunts societies universally. She draws our sharp focus on how the very structure of a society steeped on conservatism and religious ideology could cripple the rights and muffle the cries for help from a vandalised section of such society. And irrespective of the geographic, economic, religious or cultural divides, there seems to be a disturbing unanimity in the ways in which such societies tend to (mis)handle such happenings. It is indeed a travesty that in the garb of decency, honour and scores of more silly excuses, almost all societies turn a blind eye to such inhuman crimes even as they silence the desperate screams of victims by playing a helpless, mute and deaf spectator. Consequently, we have a skewed societal system which emboldens the perpetrators while mutilating their victims irreparably forever.

It is interesting that such a movie, on what is considered a strictly taboo subject in most parts of the world, is made in Iran, which is seen as a staunchly conservative society. It is even more amazing to know that it had a wide release in Iran and was also a blockbuster, besides praise at several international film festivals including the recently concluded Bangalore International Film Festival (BIFFES). Veteran director Derakshandeh deserves plaudits for making a movie that is seething with anger, yet, at the same time remaining, sensitive, subtle, nuanced and above all, universally relevant.

Enraging, deeply affective and lingering on long after the viewing, this movie makes a pitched scream to societies around the world to wake up and take note of a devastating crime in our midst !

A MUST WATCH !!

HAYAT (LIFE) (PERSIAN) (2005)

What is life ? Is it a series of challenges we confront or a multitude of solutions to choose from ? Noted Iranian director Gholam Reza Ramezani addresses the above and many other interesting perspectives on life in Hayat (Persian for Life) which is a beautiful slice (a very thin slice at that) of life movie which captures the events of half a day in the life of our protagonist Hayat, a teen studying in fifth grade. It is an important day for Hayat as she has to sit for an exam to qualify for a boarding school scholarship. Hayat is the best student of her class in the village school and aspires to study further. But, her poor family cannot afford to pay for her studies. Hayat understands that her best chance is to clear the tough exam to qualify for the scholarship to the boarding school and has prepared hard for the exam.

  

However, in a twist of fate, her father falls critically ill early on the morning of the exam and her mother has to rush with him to the hospital. Hayat is given the onerous responsibility of staying home to babysit her younger brother Akbar, her infant sister Nabat and to attend to sundry household work. Hayat tries her best to cope with this sudden challenging turn of events which threaten to drive a spoke through her carefully nurtured dream of cracking the exam and winning the scholarship. Watch the movie to find if Hayat succeeds in the face of the difficult situation. 

It is indeed amazing that the director Ramezani could fashion such an engaging movie with a plot so simple and sourced from an event so commonplace. The banality of the plot provides the movie with a near universal appeal. Ramezani steers clear of any melodrama, sermonising or other gimmicks and stays true to the tradition of well known Iranian directors  and adopts a clear narrative arc, a realistic setting. To this end, the natural lighting and sound are optimally harnessed by the cinematography and sound departments for creating a realistic milieu. 

Ramezani's skills as a narrator shines through in his choice of the subject and his presentation in a form that is in equal parts, a slice of life drama and an unconventional race against clock thriller which is laced with humour and subtle pointers on the state of Iranian society. 

The movie benefits to a great extent from its excellent cast. Ghazaleh Parsafar plays the practical and determined protagonist Hayat like a natural and expresses the entire spectrum of emotions convincingly. She creates an immediate connect with the viewer and as a result, the viewer feels her urgency, tension, relief, fear, frustration and silent determination as the movie progresses. The director has also chosen a competent supporting cast - be it Akbar, Hayat's defiant, yet loving younger brother, the head master of the village school who pleads for Hayat, the lady invigilator at the exam hall, the sullen old lady who is the partner of Hayat's mother and surprisingly, even in the baby playing Hayat's infant sister Nabat - who deserve kudos for their competent performance which renders the movie believable and relatable.

The movie also communicates to the viewer at several levels. While at an apparent level it presents the determined struggle of the protagonist to succeed, one can also feel several subtle subtexts underneath. The movie projects a snapshot of life in rural Iran and brings a sharp focus on the travails of the women who remain at a disadvantage resulting from deeply ingrained conservative ideas prevalent in a patriarchal society which see them as lesser beings. The movie also brings out the role of education in improving their lot by equipping them with confidence, practical knowledge and problem solving skills as showcased by Hayat's approach to her challenges as well as the lady invigilator's near instant understanding of Hayat's predicament. It is a clear testimony of Ramezani's talents as an auteur that he could achieve all this in an engrossing movie that is barely 80 minutes long. 

Hayat, promoted by the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI) and a multiple award winner at several Children's Film festivals across the globe, is sure to enthrall the viewer irrespective of their age group. 

A LESSER KNOWN GEM & A MUST WATCH !!