My Top 5 Iranian Films (so far) 1) Children of Heaven: Bacheha-Ye aseman (1997) 2) Separation: Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (2011) 3) Turtles Can Fly: Lakposhtha hâm parvaz mikonand (2004) 4) Song of Sparrows: Avaze gonjeshk-ha (2008) 5) Color of Paradise: Rang-e khoda (1999) One mightn’t think it judging by Persian politics, but cinema from the Islamic republic has undergone a metamorphosis in the last couple of decades – bursting with ingenious creativity that seems all the more intense for being so long suppressed. It reminds me of how it was during the most oppressive period of Stalinism in Russia that great Soviet composers like Shostakovitch and Prokofiev invented music that by all reasonable assumptions would/should have been drab and uninspiring (Soviet films of this period were likewise similarly astonishing). Iran may be a country whose broad ideals seem to diverge markedly from those of America and the west, but it does not require any special gifts of empathy to be moved by these stories and characters. There are no car chases or special effects, but rather careworn performances about transcending hardship and grappling with slings & arrows of life to which anyone can relate. Modern Iranian movies tend to be about the vexatious ambiguities in life, most of which are ultimately universal; the best among them are among the best films made today, in ANY country or language.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 17:57:59 +0000
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