Wednesday 30 April 2014

This is not a Film
Dir: Jafar Panahi, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
2011
*****
This is not a Film is not a film. The clue is in the title. It is however more important than that, it is an essay on film making and expression, and it is a political reaction to oppression. It may seem like a man pottering around his flat thinking things up and talking to his lawyer but it is so much more than that. Its mundane content is kind of the point. He risked his life making this film, something that us in the West find hard to comprehend or appreciate. It's not art, it's not entertainment, it's a tiny revolution. It should be watched, it's hard to enjoy due to the subject matter and because it's ordinary but the truth is that it is actually extraordinary and should be acknowledged.

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