Iran-e Man (2023), Naghmeh Pour

خستگی | KHASTEGI (2008) dir. Bahman Motamedian A pseudo-documentary, follows the daily routines and experiences of six trans women and one trans man in Tehran, all of which enact pieces of their own lives and their fight for acceptance. (link in title)

bir film bir dizi bir kitap bir şarkı

"Bashu, the Little Stranger" - 1986

In the 1986 Iranian film "Bashu, the Little Stranger," a story unfolds against a changing landscape, symbolizing the resilience that emerges from adversity. The movie opens in a hilly, desolate region, deeply affected by the Iran-Iraq war. Bashu finds himself in a jarring situation, with his entire family killed and his village continuously under bombardment. To escape this dire situation, he takes refuge in a stranger's truck and remains there until he deems it no longer safe. 

The original barren and destructive backdrop gradually gives way to a lush green field as Bashu rides along to a different part of Iran. He eventually arrives in the farm fields of Nai and her children.

The film introduces us to a world of cultural diversity within Iran, where both of the main characters, Bashu and Nai, speak different languages representing the country's rich diversity of ethnicities. Their bond, despite the language barrier, is heartwarming. Nai does everything in her power to protect and care for him, despite the multiple forces pushing her to use him for work or let go of him. 

Nai’s practices and connections to nature shine through by mimicking animal sounds and creating a unique language of understanding. Bashu adopts these mannerisms as the movie progresses. The practice of eating with hands serves as a subtle reminder of enduring traditions amidst turmoil. The film also delves into themes of colorism and othering, which are representative of the multitude of ethnicities present in Iran and the tensions that may arise. Despite living in the same country, Nai and Bashu lived different lives. 

Nai's decision to shelter Bashu against societal opinions demonstrates her strength and he learns to trust her. The film beautifully portrays the complexities of family, community, and war. “Bashu, the Little Stranger"  , through the lives of its characters, reveals the power of acceptance, resilience, and the strength of human connections amidst the backdrop of a post-war Iranian landscape.

-رنيم

کلوزآپ ، نمای نزدیک [Close-up] (1990) dir. Abbas Kiarostami | Biography/Docufiction

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night [دختری در شب تنها به خانه می‌رود] (2014)

Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour

DoP.: Lyle Vincent

Forough Farrokhzad poetry for today

ABOUT ELLY | درباره الی (dir. Asghar Farhadi, 2009)

MASSIVE news guys - All Phantom fans are gonna wanna watch this.

Retweets greatly appreciated.

Non-Anglo Movies You Should Watch 32/∞: Futur Drei (2020; No Hard Feelings), dir. Faraz Shariat

Country: Germany

Language: German, Persian

Genre: Romantic Drama

Summary: A second-generation Irani-German youth is sentenced to community service at a refugee shelter, where he meets brother and sister refugees from Iran and develops a tenuous romance with the brother.

The Cow, Dariush Mehrjui

Hit The Road (2021) dir. Panah Panahi

Where is the Friend's Home? (Khane-ye doust kodjast?) (1987)

A characteristic that is lacking in mainstream Hollywood films is a plot that is so simply told, but excites you at the same time. Abbas Kiarostami’s “Where Is the Friend’s House?” involves a basic goal that expands into a 80 minute character study about what it takes to maintain selflessness at a young age and the finished product is one of world cinema’s hidden secrets.

On a somewhat uneventful day in a school classroom, Mohamed Reda (Ahmed Ahmed Poor) is scolded for repeatedly misplacing his notebook and is warned that he will be expelled if he does so one more time. By accident, his classmate and good friend Ahmed (Babek Ahmed Poor) takes Mohamed’s notebook and is desperate to return it to him to prevent his friend’s expulsion. What transpires is an arduous journey that Ahmed undertakes to find Mohamed’s home on the other side of town which will take him up stairs, hills and strangers’ backyards. 

This film isn’t solely about Ahmed’s journey, but about his fellow countrymen’s everyday tasks as well. Kiarostami weaves these two storylines side by side with the right plot devices and overlapping dialogue. For example, there’s a scene involving a business transaction between two strangers over the installation of doors on one of their houses. At first, you wonder what the purpose of this scene is, and then the sewing of both stories come together when Ahmed reappears and the builder asks if he could tear a page from Mohamed’s notebook to draw up the contract. So at the same time, you see Ahmed’s selfless act and what he’ll most likely grow up to be in his adult years, continuing his selfless ways to help his fellow man. 

“Where is the Friend's House?” is also a throwback to other films like “The Red Balloon” and “The Bicycle Thieves” that utilize the motif of a child fending for themselves in the streets. At the same time, it incorporates the theme of child actors acting like regular children that was previously done in “The 400 Blows”, “Forbidden Games” and “Spirit Of The Beehive” and later on in “Au Revoir, Les Enfants” “Cinema Paradiso” and “Ponette”. The result is a Venn Diagram of a film where the main story is the world through the eyes of a child who wants to make a man of himself, taking the lessons of his teacher and grandfather to heart, even doing something as foolish as running from home to unchartered lands to help a friend in need. The common bond between all these films is that they are non-Hollywood foreign language gems. American films are too caught up in stupid characters, cheesy CGI, convoluted stories and  unnecessary subplots that are incorporated into remakes and monotonous superhero franchises. I have yet to wait for an American director to focus on a linear story that may seem boring on paper, but grabs the viewer’s attention nonstop as if you’re in the character’s shoes. This film is more reality than some of the garbage that passes as “reality” television.

The Ahmed Poor brothers who play Ahmed and Mohamed are excellent from the very beginning. The very first scene tugs at your heartstrings when Ahmed’s Mohamed is crying in class as he’s threatened with being expelled from school. He’s only a little kid and yet the weight of responsibility overwhelms him. I can remember seeing classmates of mine cry in school when confronted with similar issues and seeing that crying on screen brought me back to those halcyon days. Then you have Ahmed, whose presence takes up 95% of the film, and his determination is on full display. Babek’s Ahmed manages to stick to his innocence without coming off as overly cute. He may be a grammar school student, but he has the grit and drive of an adult. Not many films can pull off having a child act like him or herself without being nauseatingly annoying. The Ahmed Poor brothers were naturals to be in front of the camera and did not disappoint.

Unfortunately, Iran did not submit a film to the Academy Awards Foreign Film category in the year of this film’s release. By missing out of being in the running, “Where Is the Friend’s House?” could have been more widely seen by American audiences and the film wound up debuting at the American film festival circuit 6 years later, well too late for Oscar consideration. Despite that, Kiarostami won awards at the Fajr and Locarno Festivals in 1987 and 1989 respectively. As of now, the film is #2 on MUBI’s Top 1000 Films list, one up from “The Godfather”, an impressive feat. So 35 years later, this masterpiece is getting the reception it richly deserves.

9.5/10