On Iranian New Wave Cinema

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I spent the last weekend or so going over some Iranian films from yesterday-year, specifically the two giants: Abbas Kiarostami & Mohsen Makhmalbaf. During the late 20th century, they made films unlike any I ever saw. I was not aware of Iranian cinema until the success in the West of A Separation (2011) by @asgharfarhadiofficial . I always hate when that happens of being late to the party. When I saw the feature on Iranian cinema from The Story of Film: An Odyssey, I knew I had to see some of these classic films. This has not been easy, given the political situation, but I have had a chance to watch some films:

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The Traveler (1974); Close-Up (1989); Salaam Cinema (1995); A Moment of Innocence (1996).

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The first two films are by Kiarostami (who died in 2016). The Traveler is about a boy who attempts to travel across Iran to see his favorite soccer team play. Close-Up is a documentary-on-steroids about a man whose obsession with film ruins his life. He ends up being arrested for trying to impersonate the director of the other two films films in the image. What makes the documentary unique is that AK gets all the people in the real life incident to re-enact their roles. Salaam Cinema was conceived by Makhmalbaf as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of film, but ends as a meditation on art and humanity (questioning if a true artist can really be humane). A Moment of Innocence recounts Makhmalbaf's time as a militant, during the last years of the Shah. It is a study of memory, violence, and how you truly try to save the world.

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I have to say, these films remind me so much of the work of Dostoevsky and Chekhov. Kiarostami's Close-Up is like watching a character from The Brothers Karamazov wander into Uncle Vanya. Salaam Cinema & AMOI sees our very Dostoevsky-inspired director push his actors to their emotional limit to make them (& us) discover deeper truths about being alive.

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These films are beautiful–emotionally devastating–but beautiful. Can't recommend them enough! #movie #movies #film #documentary #iranianfilm #iranianmovie #abbaskiarostami #mohsenmakhmalbaf #Mosāfer #thetraveler #closeupmovie #salaamcinema #amomentofinnocence #cinephilenoir

A post shared by Ken's Bookshelf & Movieshelf (@rinehartstation) on Nov 19, 2018 at 8:50pm PST