[THIS
IS NOT A FILM screens Saturday September 1st at 5:15 pm and Sunday September 2nd at 7:00 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]
Review
by Bob Ignizio
Iranian
filmmaker Jafar Panahi (THE WHITE BALLOON)
was recently sentenced to six years in prison. In addition, he has
been forbidden from engaging in filmmaking, writing, giving
interviews, or leaving the country for 20 years, all for the crime of
“assembly and colluding with the intention to commit crimes against
the country’s national security and propaganda against the Islamic
Republic.” Whatever that means, it no doubt has at least something
to do Panahi's films, most of which include subtle criticisms against
the status quo in his home country.
As
the documentary THIS IS NOT A FILM
begins, Panahi is waiting for news on his appeal. Despite the ban on
filmmaking, he shoots much of the footage here himself, with friend
and fellow filmmaker Mojtaba Mirtahmasb shooting the rest. The title
shows both Panahi's humor in the face of adversity, but also refers
to his efforts at communicating the movie he would have made if he
had not run afoul of the authorities.Panahi does this by reading the screenplay and acting out the parts, but soon begins to feel his efforts aredoomed to failure. As Panahi says at one point, “If we could tell a film,
why make a film?” It's as fine a way as any to illustrate that a
movie is far more than just its screenplay.
For
those who know little of what life in modern day Iran is really like,
it may be a bit surprising to see how Panahi lives. Aside from a few
minor details, his spacious apartment is not all that different from
any upper middle class dwelling in the west. He has nice furniture
and watches DVDs on his high def television while taking care of his
daughter's pet iguana. It all seems very mundane and modern, at least
until Panahi goes online and remarks that, “most websites are
filtered. The rest don't say anything.”
Ultimately,
THIS IS NOT A FILM is
a testament to the fact that artists have no choice but to create, no
matter what the circumstances or possible consequences. That, and the
fact that a great artist can produce something profound from the
least likely of materials, including even, as is the case here, video
shot with a cell phone. 4 out of 4 stars.
As published on Examiner.com
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