For the better part of the last decade, Western movie-going audiences have been caught up in rapturous delight and wonder in the offerings of Iranian cinema largely through the singular vision of a new leader in 21st century Iranian cinema.
It is no secret that Asghar Farhadi is a deft filmmaker with a strong handle on the steering wheel of his stories and characters. He is not merely pandering to melodramatic idealisations of themes like marriage and socio-economic difficulties, but rather skillfully revealing and dissecting those themes in the unique context of a culture that may seem at times mysterious and elusive — while at the same time unnerving for audiences abroad.
For a closer look at how Farhadi manages to capture that unique glimpse into Iranian life and culture, one need not look further than the thrilling Darbareye Elly (About Elly). The story revolves around a group of former university classmates who travel to the rugged Caspian Sea coast for a vacation until their plans are upended after one of the friends disappears mysteriously. What follows in true Farhadi fashion is not only a search and rescue operation but an unravelling of secrets that daringly explore contemporary Iran.
The titular character Elly (Taraneh Alidoosti), a kindergarten teacher who is an outlier in the group’s social circle, is initially shown to be interested in one of the male travellers and so a matchmaking effort ensues between the group to end the vacation on the premise of the two becoming a couple by the end. Family and friendship groups arranging meetings between would-be couples is a big part of Iranian culture; not least because of the historical context of the cultural separation of the sexes in society after the 1979 Islamic revolution that went on to impose significant restrictions in the way men and women interact in society. The unfettered joy as the group find themselves in the rural villa, away from the judgement of that very society allows the roots of young love to flourish; even if it is cut short brutally in the end.
Farhadi opens the door to the often taboo idea of relationships being borne out of flirtatious frivolity and the consequences of a society that shames anything falling outside of its idealisations of marriage and romance; revealed even to greater depth as the ultimate secret rips the group apart and ends the vacation in tragedy.
But the significance of Farhadi’s masterful film doesn’t simply rest on these large thematic elements of societal pressures, but also in trivial yet culturally significant details. Anyone who has grown up in Iran or even simply had the pleasure to visit the country knows that picnic culture is a pillar of the Iranian way of life. We even celebrate the Spring Equinox new year by leaving the house on the 13th day and having a large picnic with family and friends. It’s almost a religious practice with most people having picnics in the park at least every weekend. In About Elly, the scenes of a friend group gathering to revel in that great cultural pastime is so sweetly reminiscent; Farhadi is intent on celebrating these small pleasures of Iranian culture.
Farhadi’s previous work in 2006, Fireworks Wednesday, is just as pertinent in that context. This film tells the story of a working-class woman named Rouhi, who is hired to clean the house of a middle-class suburban couple. As marital trouble emerges paranoia and suspicions of infidelity permeate throughout in visually striking ways. Mozdeh (Hedieh Tehrani) suspects her husband is cheating on her with the neighbour, and is seen listening through the walls, with a cup to her ear or through air ducts to confirm her fears. Marital paranoia here is infused with tension. Farhadi offers no easy answers and doesn’t shy away from portraying a woman on the verge of a breakdown, once again setting his story in the orbit of a taboo topic, such as an extra-marital affair in a repressive society. It is not only a testament to a fearless film maker, but someone that is committed to grounding his work in realism and honesty.
Domestic abuse is also prominent in both films, most strikingly in the latter, where Mozdeh, having exhausted the possibilities of learning the truth from the confines of her home, visits her husband’s workplace and is publicly beaten in the street. This is just like in About Elly, where the anxiety of the disappearance builds and manifests into violence against one of the friends at the hands of her husband. It’s true that in contemporary Iran the wide gap in equality of the sexes and an overtly powerful system of male dominance has long contributed to domestic abuse. This is prevalent in both the confines of the house, and in the case of Fireworks Wednesday, in broad daylight. Farhadi unveils of this social epidemic that is often regarded as too taboo of a topic for wider discussion; in a nuanced and compassionate way. Never disregarding the seriousness of the effects of abuse on his female characters along the way.
Farhadi’s latest critically acclaimed movie, A Hero, once again turns the spotlight onto similar topics, in its exploration of financial difficulty, incarceration, and societal rehabilitation. It opens yet another window for audiences abroad to glimpse into a country so profoundly set in its ways of tradition, and yet evolving at a dizzying speed. Farhadi’s Iran on screen is one that is uncompromisingly honest and real, and one can only hope that he continues to create such daring work going forward.
