williamtinch Reviews

Marooned in Iraq (2002)

A Kurdish Experience

[10/10 · 7 March 2007]

Marooned in Iraq is surprisingly funny, in my opinion. I knew that it dealt with serious issues, such as the gassing of Kurds, but it had breaks of humor among these more serious matters that made for an enjoyable as well as informational experience. The film follows the same kind of editing, framing, and pace as other films from the Middle East that I have viewed such as Children of Heaven. That is, the shots in such films as these are held longer in scenes with more dialogue between actors as opposed to the Western styles of cinema, which tend to focus more on action and rapid intermissions between scenes that keep the visual stimulation moving along with the pace of such movies that American audiences are more accustomed to. The sets and actors have a much more realistic feel to them; made up of real Kurdish roads and villages without the set design of more blockbuster motion pictures that come out of Hollywood each year.

The plot and character development surround a story of two sons who accompany their father, Mizera, in search of his past wife, Hanareh, who sent word of her need for Mizera in a matter that remains a mystery up until the conclusion of the film. It is a charming story full of various types of trials and deceptions that keeps the viewer guessing as to the true purpose for the journey that this family band sets out for. The conflict in the story is complicated by these various deceptions conveyed by Mizera and the struggles that each son, Barat and Audeh, has to endure to assist their father in his quest, a quest that neither son particularly desires to take part in. The struggles center on a social commentary about the plight of the Kurdish people during the Iran Iraq War while sometimes poking fun at such characters and situations determined by this cultural conflict that keeps the Kurdish people in a state of inconclusive definition.

With more and more exposure to this type of Middle Eastern cinema, I find myself enjoying it with an equal but different enthusiasm as I find in American motion pictures; I suppose that is due in part to my professor's guidance through such films. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this film to those who seek to know more about Middle Eastern cultures and differing types of cinematic interpretations of what makes up a good film. It always serves one well to step outside their shell of familiarity in order to experience such pleasures in life that only come with exposure to such films as Marooned in Iraq.

Children of Heaven (1997)

Zahra's Shoes

[10/10 · 12 February 2007]

Children of Heaven is a movie that strays away from the fast paced, action packed thriller that most Americans, like me, are familiar with. The editing and framing are done in compliance with Iranian rules about propriety. Men are never shot in the same scene with women that they are not married to or have a family orientation with, but children, as it is allowed by Iranian standards, are shown in any context with each other and any other adult. The pace of the movie is significantly slowed down from the Western motion picture custom and the scenes, as well as the people, are all real. This is to say, that there are no professional actors in the majority of the movie and the scenes are that of real Iranian cities, schools, and homes; there are no sets. The literary elements of the film are dealt with at a unique angle as well. The plot is based on the folly of Ali as it relates to his sister's cherished shoes, a ratty pair of children's shoes, and the pursuit, after they have been lost, of returning those shoes to Zahra: Ali's sister. The development of the story is slow but charming, in my opinion, as the journey to the regain the shoes is drawn out over the entirety of the film but treated with specificity while using allegory to point out struggles between traditional and modern day Iran in relation to the government of Iran and its impinges on the citizens therein. The characters and conflict are uncomplicated and delightful, seeing that they are simply about common people dealing with common problems.

The real impact of the film is shown in how these common people care for these common blunders that any of us are likely to make; dealing in courageous ways and in observance with honorable means to meet the objectives that each has set forth to accomplish. The social commentary is invisible to the untrained eye, but no less exists clearly within the context of the film to show how each sect of the Iranian society experiences the pleasures and obstacles that are present in modern Iranian life. One such example of this social commentary exists within the relationship of the school principal (symbolizing the government of Iran), Ali's teacher (symbolizing the educated middle class), and Ali himself (symbolizing the lower, working class citizens of Iran). Also, the use of water throughout the movie symbolizes the will of God and is done so with loving consideration, best represented at the end of the movie that closes with Ali's blistered feet resting in a pond (symbolizing that submission to God's will is the best place for anyone and their concern to be).

I really enjoyed this film after I understood the context of which the story took place and of what purpose it set out to achieve. Children of Heaven gave me great insight into a society of which I was previously unfamiliar with. I highly recommend the film to anyone who wants to know more about Middle Eastern cultures, especially Iran. In the end, the film points out, rather nicely, the importance of an honorable journey to a principled end while explicating that coming in first, or having the most, are not the most essential pursuits in life. Children of Heaven is a charming story with a profound message that many of us fail to recognize and sometimes all it takes is a simple story about a simple pair of shoes to bring us back.