King of contemporary realism Jafar Panahi takes to the streets in his latest docu-fiction, despite a twenty year ban on making films. This time, the action takes place in the confines of a taxi, and we watch a day in his life unfold through the windscreen. Watching Panahi interact with his fares is a delight; no two passengers seem to share ideological backgrounds. Passengers range from the privileged to the neediest of Iran. From a woman who complains that there aren't enough public executions to human rights lawyers, all walks of contemporary life in Tehran seem to find their way into Panahi's work. Scripted scenes blend seamlessly with events that seem to take place organically - fiction and reality become blurred in this poignant, often comedic film.Sky Reaches the Earth (Hossein Rajabian)Marriage laws in Iran are a popular topic for films, and Rajabian uses it as a premise for this post-war story of a woman caught between two men.Under pressure during the Kurdish Civil War, a man finds himself in the unusual position of being forced to divorce his wife three times. Due to Islamic law, he is forbidden to marry her a fourth time. He formulates a plan - his trusted friend will marry and divorce her, thus allowing him to remarry her. This complicated strategy backfires when the friend refuses to divorce his new wife, as due to his orphan status, he can acquire an identity and family name through his bride. The couple are subsequently pursued across the post-war country.The Man Who Became A Horse (Amir-Hossein Saghafi)Based on Anton Chekhov's short story, 'Sorrow,' Amir-Hossein Sagafhi's third feature film is a mesmerizing contemplation of loss and the frightening nature of possessive love.
An old man mourning his wife refuses to give up his daughter, despite the fact that she is a married woman. Seldom venturing far from their farmland homestead, the pair's grief manifests itself in different ways - as the patriarch slowly descends into lunacy, and even contemplates murdering his son-in-law, his daughter becomes increasingly isolated and detached. The only comfort she has is caring for the dying horse her mother left behind before her own passing. -Agencies
Taxi Tehran (Jafar Panahi)