When I first heard about this film, it didn't interest me much. All I heard was that it was about Makhmalbaf and a cop he assaulted forgiving each other, but what it actually turned out to be was much more interesting and it left so big of an impression on me it shot up real high on my favorite's list.
In order to explain why I like it so much though, I first have to give some background on the film. When Mohsen Makhmalbaf was 17, he was involved in a militant group, attempted to steal a police officer's gun, and ended up stabbing him in the process. As a result, Makhmalbaf was sentenced to death. After serving five years in prison though, he was released in the wake of the Iranian revolution. The officer in the film is the same officer Makhmalbaf stabbed when he was a kid.
Knowing this gives the film's themes some extra resonance as it turns the film into a story about forgiveness. Of course, there's the noticeable extension to this theme which concerns the cop forgiving Makhmalbaf, but the other extension of this concerns the cop's conflict with a former love interest. Though the cop and Makhmalbaf (and his love interest) never share a scene together in the film, the conflict concerning them is instead portrayed through younger actors, who provide their interpretations to the events surrounding the three of them. The cop bonding with the actor who plays Makhmalbaf as opposed to Makhmalbaf himself is a great touch. The final shot of two simultaneous offerings of a gift shows that the three of them found peace with each other and were finally able to find forgiveness. It's a beautiful shot and tops the final shot of "The 400 Blows" as the best freeze frame ending I've ever seen.
Overall, this film is a masterpiece and my favorite Iranian film. It blew me away when I first watched it and this viewing was no different.
In order to explain why I like it so much though, I first have to give some background on the film. When Mohsen Makhmalbaf was 17, he was involved in a militant group, attempted to steal a police officer's gun, and ended up stabbing him in the process. As a result, Makhmalbaf was sentenced to death. After serving five years in prison though, he was released in the wake of the Iranian revolution. The officer in the film is the same officer Makhmalbaf stabbed when he was a kid.
Knowing this gives the film's themes some extra resonance as it turns the film into a story about forgiveness. Of course, there's the noticeable extension to this theme which concerns the cop forgiving Makhmalbaf, but the other extension of this concerns the cop's conflict with a former love interest. Though the cop and Makhmalbaf (and his love interest) never share a scene together in the film, the conflict concerning them is instead portrayed through younger actors, who provide their interpretations to the events surrounding the three of them. The cop bonding with the actor who plays Makhmalbaf as opposed to Makhmalbaf himself is a great touch. The final shot of two simultaneous offerings of a gift shows that the three of them found peace with each other and were finally able to find forgiveness. It's a beautiful shot and tops the final shot of "The 400 Blows" as the best freeze frame ending I've ever seen.
Overall, this film is a masterpiece and my favorite Iranian film. It blew me away when I first watched it and this viewing was no different.