"THE MIRROR" FROM ART - TO LOOK AT LIFE IN...

Now, being able to watch this film was a truly unique opportunity for me – for a lot of people in fact. It’s director is Iranian Cafar Panahi, who is now imprisoned in Iran for anti-regime propaganda. And the film is well… A masterpiece from beginning to end. Now you may recall that I have told you, often enough, that I love a good surprise in a movie. Turning the whole thing on its head at the last minute, unexpected turns in the story or the genre that kind of thing. Fancy a film that turns into another film mid-way? And makes sense? Ok, that sounds as if it makes very little sense in itself, but trust me, Panahi has other ideas.
First of all, meet Mina. She is a typical first grade student, and the school day having just ended, she comes out of school, looking around for her mother who usually takes her home. She has to be very careful too, her arm is in a fresh cast… However, today seems to be unlike most days – her mother isn’t there. Mina waits and waits but no sign of her mother. She tries to call the house - no answer. Her schoolmistress notices her and somehow gets her onto a bus, but when Mina gets to the last stop she realizes that she has taken the wrong bus. Scared and confused, Mina turns to the camera and shouts “I don’t want to be in this film anymore!” rips the cast off her arm and runs off set under the flabbergasted gaze of the crew and other cast members… No matter what anyone says or does, Mina cannot be persuaded, she will NOT be in the film any more. She just wants to go home – on her own. It’s at this point that Cafar Panahi is struck with an idea. Noticing the little girl still has a microphone attached, he says “Fine, let her go off home.” So Mina sets off, and the crew piles into the van to follow her. So, while we were watching a film about a little girl trying to find her way home, we are now watching a REAL little girl, REALLY trying to find her way home… Clever, no?
Now, I hasten to add, you would have to be pretty damn naïve to actually BELIEVE the second half of the film is “real”. No, of course not. Some of the beautiful, clever little touches – and the sheer profusion of said touches – go to prove beyond any doubt that the whole thing is contrived. However, clever idea no? It goes back to the old discussion; life mirroring art or art mirroring life? In any case, we are presented with both sides, so to speak, up to you to decide who mirrors who.
And both films (I have to call them that with such different genres) are so successful… They just show two very different perspectives on the same subject matter. A work-shop, a demonstration so to speak on how a director’s point of view can change how a topic is handled. The first film is a sensitive portrait of Iran at the time, day to day life and the problems of the people. Well, in fact so is the second one but in the second film, so many gimmicks are possible with the various techniques, and so many sensitive little touches are present that I prefer it infinitely to the first half. Although of course, the combination of the two halves is the best of all…
I just want to finish this post by saying that I hope we are able to see more works from Mr. Panahi in the future. It will be a great loss for cinema all around the world if he is not allowed to work again….