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Zendegi va digar hich (1992)
Trumped up American Reality TV
Unlike his earlier film, Where is the Friend's House, Abbas Kiarostami's Life, and Nothing More fails to enrapture viewers with the real life of contemporary Iran. While Friend's House was a moving film rooted in the Iranian child's sense of responsibility, Life is little more than a trumped up Iranian version of American reality TV. For the entire film, we are literally dragged along while a man, portraying Kiarostami, and his son go in search of the two young actors from Where is the Friend's House following a devastating earthquake. We accompany them as they sit in traffic jams, take side roads that seem to go nowhere, and get directions from people who don't know anything about where the roads lead. During our busy lives, we experience enough traffic jams or wrong turns without having to sit through them during a film. Along the way, the director and his son give rides to various characters, which inevitably leads to trite dialogue reminiscent of the pseudo-philosophical talk you would hear in the living room of the Big Brother house. In addition to the one-dimensional characters, the use of classical music in three different scenes of the film is completely inappropriate and throws the viewer even further out of the already palsied narrative.
*** possible "spoiler" follows ***
Kiarostami's choice of ending destroys his final chance at redeeming the film by failing to leave the viewer with any resolution. After leaving his son to watch the football match on TV in the tent-camp, and finding the road to Koker, the director must match his old car against a daunting hill. After several failed attempts at climbing the hill, he turns around and drives back the way he came. Naturally, the viewer assumes that he has given up finding the boys and is going to return home, but moments later we see him come back and make one more attempt at conquering the hill. This last attempt is successful, and in the final shot, we watch the car stop to pick up one final passenger and then drive off-screen in the direction of Koker. The viewer never learns whether or not the boys are alive, or even if the director makes it to Koker. While even an ending where the director gives up would not be satisfactory, leaving the film's central question unanswered makes the 95 minutes spent watching the movie an unjustifiable waste of time. In the end, the film amounts to little more than an undeveloped `reality show' with the cliché message of `it's the journey that counts.' Your time would be better spent watching the re-run of Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire.
Khane-ye doust kodjast? (1987)
Meaningful & Sincere
If you ever feel like you've lost track of what's truly important in life, then don't miss Abbas Kiarostami's film, Where is the Friend's House. After mistakenly taking his friend's notebook, Ahmadpoor is torn between obedience to his parents and a need to help his friend Nematzadeh. Faced with the difficult choice of either disobeying his mother and returning his friend's notebook in the Iranian village of Poshteh over the hill, or staying at home and taking the chance that his friend will be expelled from school, Ahmad takes advantage of the situation when his mother sends him out to buy bread for dinner and sets out for Poshteh.
Unfortunately, Ahmad does not know where his friend's house is. Following Ahmad through a series of disappointments and near misses, the viewer is drawn into the desperate search for Nematzadeh or anyone who knows him. Finally, Ahmad is befriended by an old door maker who agrees to take him to Nematzadeh's house. While this part of the film does drag, with the door maker walking slowly and talking constantly about different doors and windows he has made, it is a price worth paying, and almost succeeds in making the viewer feel like he or she is in Ahmad's shoes, being forced to plod along slowly behind an old man. By far the most disappointing part of this film for the viewer is that the journey with the old man lacks a payoff, and Ahmad returns to his own village having not found his friend. Determined to make sure his friend is not punished for a mistake he made, Ahmad stays up late into the night writing not only his own homework, but Nematzadeh's as well. While this film has some slow points and may leave some viewers feeling like the payoff was only marginal, the message is sincere and it shows that sometimes there are more important things in life than doing what you're told.
Elling (2001)
Fantastic!
I saw this movie at the Irish Film Centre and was absolutely astounded. I walked in wondering what I was going to be watching, having never seen a Norwegian film before. It was incredibly funny, and a very moving story. I highly recommend this film. Even if you aren't the kind of person who generally enjoys foreign language films, this is definitely worth it.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Best movie of the year!
Moulin Rouge was the best movie I saw all year! It was brilliant, and ranks among my all time favorites. The music is fantastic. Acting, directing, cinematography, editing, special effect -- all superb! Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor have wonderful voices and they worked very well together. I can't wait to own Moulin Rouge!