Monday 29 May 2023

no bears (w&d jafar panahi)

Panahi’s sly, funny and ultimately tragic tale achieves everything it sets out to do and more. It is a social comedy; it is a portrayal of life on two frontiers (Iran/Turkey, Turkey/Europe); it is an indictment of international migration policies; it is an indictment of the Iranian government. There are no heroes in this film, least of all the director, played by the director himself, whose desire to do something as simple as make a film helps to provoke the death of his leading actress. Watching the way the audience shifted from perhaps condescending amusement to the brink of tears was a masterly example of the craft of cinematic storytelling.  

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