The Circle
©Jafar Panahi Film Productions (Iran) / Mikado - Lumière & co. (Italy)
distribution A-Film / Nederlands Filmmuseum
photo courtesy International Film Festival Rotterdam
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Director Jafar Panahi's third film deals with the unenviable position of being a woman
in Iran. Is anyone really surprised that this film was prohibited from being shown in
that country? On the other hand, since its release abroad, this film has gained
attention internationally and even won A Golden Lion at the Cannes Film Festival
(2000).
Seven women find themselves in hopeless situations. We move fluidly along the
Teheran trail one evening and glimpse their lives. One woman gives birth to a
daughter, an immense problem considering that her in-laws are expecting a new born
son ("The ultrasound said it was going to be a boy."). Three tough women, Arezou
(Maryiam Parvin Almani), Maedeh (Maedeh Tahmasbai), and Nargesse (Nargess
Mamizadeh), are let out of a van, being released from prison on a temporary pass.
Arezou tries to help the defenseless and bruised Nargess find enough money to
purchase a bus ticket back home. Pari (Fereshteh Sadr Orafai), the main protagonist
of the story who finds herself alone on the streets as a result of her brothers' violent
threats, needs an abortion and looks up Elham (Elham Saboktakin), an old friend and
nurse, only to be refused the help she seeks. (Elham continuously tries to conceal
her own criminal past from her husband and won't even dare travel past customs for
fear of being uncovered.) Pari later encounters a stranger desperately attempting to
abandon her child in the streets with hope that the young girl might find a better
future somewhere else. Later the same evening, Pari meets a prostitute picked up
by the police at a roadblock. The final scene winds at in a police station, where the
harshness of reality reminds us of the painful maternity ward, filled with screams,
where the circle began.
And so everything ends full circle, only to begin (most likely) once again.
Panahi has chosen a documentary style to heighten the realistic effect of this story:
sounds are used centrally on the soundtrack without reliance upon musical
interludes, non- professional actors give extremely convincing performances, and
Bahram Badakhahani's camera captures activities as they seem to really occur in
these lives. Threatened by an ever-present, unseen danger that is never truly
revealed in any clear or definitive way, they pass their lives living in a constant state
of anxiety filled with guilt. Only when they are trapped or incarcerated, do they seem
to be able to enjoy even the simple freedom of a cigarette.
No, women don't have an easy lot in Islamic Iran under the rule of a harsh patriarchal
regime. Any female who steps out of line can expect a punishment of the cruelest
sort, be it physical or mental. A sensitive and revealing portrait from the Iranian new
wave.
Have a look at the other IFFR reviews
Amores Perros (Love's a Bitch)
Images of a Moving City
Die Bad
Something Happened
Verboden te Zuchten
Rusty Water (Nok Mool)
Otesánek
Powers
City of Lost Souls
Letter from New York City
Me You Them (Eu Tu eLes)
The Circle (Dayareh)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
© 1994-2006 The Green Hartnett
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