1170. Bād mā rā khāhad bord

Bād mā rā khāhad bord
The Wind Will Carry Us
1999
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami

I was eager for a "slice of life" movie, which I tend to like, and was excited about checking this title out. It seemed like it was going to be an Iranian version of City Slickers. Unfortunately for me, the humor here didn't really translate.

Behzad, Keyvan, Ali, and Jahan are journalists intent on documenting the mourning rituals of a small Kurdish village. They pose as production engineers in an attempt to blend in better with the villagers. Much to their surprise, the old lady who was supposed to be the subject of the rituals keeps kickin', forcing them to remain in town and appreciate the lifestyle of the villagers.

It's often difficult for humor to survive crossing cultural lines, so I don't hold it against this film that the comedic aspects weren't really apparent to me. I felt a lot of this movie consisted of Behzad yelling on the phone. That's not to say I didn't enjoy certain scenes of the film, like when he connected with a local boy in the village. But for the most part, I was clock watching.

It was a nice ending though.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

The title is a reference to a poem by Forough Farrokhzad, a famous Iranian poet.

921. Ta'm e guilass

Ta'm e guilass
Taste of Cherry
1997
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami

I was shocked to discover that Roger Ebert actually gave a negative review of this film.  This seemed like the kind of dull chore of a movie that critics would hail as a masterpiece.  Reason number 151 that I love Roger Ebert: he isn't pretentious.

A man drives around Tehran, looking for someone to bury him after he dies.  He plans on killing himself and explains that he will enter a pit at nightfall.  If he is dead by morning, he hopes that someone will fill the hole.  If he is alive, he hopes that someone will help him out.  The film follows his attempts at trying to find someone for this strange task.  It is never explained why he wants to commit suicide, who he is, or if he even decides to go through with it.

Ebert called this film "excruciatingly boring" and I have to agree.  Forcing us to watch this man drive around aimlessly for an hour and a half without ever revealing an interesting back story just felt cruel.  And what was up with the ending?  Was it just to remind us that it was all just a movie?  Kiarostami is relying on the viewer to fill in all the blanks of his story and yet still believes the audience is too stupid to realize it was just a movie?

Anyway, I think we are finally done with Kiarostami and the only time he truly impressed me was with The White Balloon.  I guess that means it was worth it?

RATING: *----

Interesting Facts:

Kiarostami shot each of the actors separately with him either sitting in the passenger seat or driver seat.

881. Zire darakhatan zeyton

Zire darakhatan zeyton
Through the Olive Trees
1994
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami

It's actually snowing today (today meaning April 9th, not necessarily when this post goes up).  I am relieved I don't have to leave the house today so I don't have to engage in small talk about how crazy the weather is.  And also so I don't have to drive on icy roads and die in a horrific car crash.  But mostly the small talk thing.  Anyway, I thought this was a good day to drink hot chocolate in bed and try to make sense of Through the Olive Trees.

An actor falls in love with the leading lady of the film he is working on, but she refuses to speak to him, as her family does not approve of the match.  This whole premise begs the question: if a woman never even talks to you, how do you know you are in love with her?  How about for my benefit, nobody answers that question.

I didn't mind this film that much.  It was a little slow and my subtitles were off, but the beautiful landscape shots kept my interest.  My only real complaint is the ambiguous ending.  Let me get on my high horse briefly to discuss this.  As a writer, I don't really approve of the "lacking of ending" ending.  In my writing classes in college, people would try to pull this off constantly.  Nine times out of ten, it was because they couldn't think of one themselves, so they changed their own decent story into one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books.  It just seems lazy.  I think there is a way to leave elements of your conclusion to the audience's imagination in a less clumsy way.  Anyway, I will dismount now, as this position is hurting my crotch region.

In any case, not as good as Close-up but still worth a watch.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

First movie where Kiarostami used a professional actor.

822. Close-Up

Close-Up
1990
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami

Correct me if I am wrong, but this might be the only Iranian film on the List.  It was quite an interesting find, so I might have to explore more movies from Iran.  If you didn't pick up on my subtle hinting there, I am asking you to leave recommendations in the comments.

Hossain Sabzian is riding home on a bus when day when an elderly woman comments on the book he is reading, The Cyclist .  She says that she loves the movie adaptation of The Cyclist, which was directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.  Sabzian, a cinephile, claims that he is Makhmalbaf and is riding the bus home to find new film subjects.  He tells the woman that he wants to use her family for his next movie, but will need money for filming.  On the outside, Sabzian's scheme seems like an audacious ploy to steal some money.  However, it is clear to the audience that Sabzian simply likes thinking of himself as a famous director.

This is a strange film, as it is part documentary, part reenactment, with everyone playing themselves.  It's certainly an intriguing format and one that you have to admire for its uniqueness.  I can't honestly say I was on the edge of my seat for the entire running time.  By the last half hour, I was ready to call it quits.  The driest part of the film for me was the courtroom scenes, although I suppose they were necessary.  The showing is always more interesting than the telling.

Still, one that was worth sitting through.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

In the 2010 Sight & Sound poll, it was voted as the 42nd greatest film of all time.