I guess this is more of an Iranian film than a Tajikistani (that’s a word, right?) film, but
And, wow! What an unexpected delight! An honest-to-goodness avant garde film! Yay! If I had known that this was an Iranian film, this wouldn’t have come as such a surprise, seeing as Iran is really the cultural power house of the region.
I don’t know whether the actors are purposefully stiff or whether they’re just not, er, actors, but the stilted quality lends a further sheen to the strange proceedings. Very Bressonesque.
But to be honest, most of the film I was going “Don’t fuck it up! Don’t start making ‘sense’!” And it almost made it all the way; deliciously obscure. If it had only stopped before the very last scene, which was hokey in all the wrong ways.
But it’s otherwise riveting.
The Silence. Mohsen Makhmalbaf. 1998. Tajikistan.
Boulder Tangerine Bourbon Sour
- 24 parts bourbon
- 8 parts lemon tea
- 8 parts simple syrup
- 1 part lime juice
- 3 parts lemon juice
Shake with ice. Pour into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with a cherry and a slice of orange.
This post is part of the World of Films and Cocktails series. Explore the map.