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Tradition of Lover Killing (2004) - RASM-E ASHEGH KOSHI Directed by: Khosro Masumi Date of birth: 1955, Behshahr, Iran Writing credits: Khosro Masumi Music: Peyman Yazdanian Country: Iran Language: Farsi Color: Color Runtime: 90 min Released: 2004 Genre: Drama |
Synopsis
It tells a heartbroken story of a family in a small Iran village. Mirza Agha's conspiracy leads to the arrest and imprisonment of illegal woodcutter, Salar. Having lost the only income, the poor family face the even more severe poverty. What'sworse, Salar's son-in-law, Latif, who is serving his military service in the village police station, is ordered to take him to the city prison despite his own will. Thus starts the quarrel between Salar'sdaughter and her mother who is very angry with Latif.
Precocious Jalal, Salar's nine-year-old son, decides to work for a group of illegal woodcutters to earn money. Unfortunately, when he runs to alert the woodcutters of the coming police, Jalal drops his textbook with his name on it...
Cast:
Hossein Mahjoub (as Hossein Mahjub)
Gohar Kheirandish (as Gowhar Kheirandish)
Hurie Mirmohammadi
Arman Nikzad
Mehran Rajabi
Hossein Abedini
Mohsen Ghazi Moradi (as Mohsen Qazi Moradi)
Mehrdad Falahatger (as Mehrdad Falahatgar)
Tradition of Lover Killing (Iran)
(Screenings at the Seventh Shanghai International Film Festival SIFF...)
Also titled "Lover Killing Tradition" in English, this new film by Iranian director Khosro Masumi received the top prize at the festival. Meryl Streep flew into town to hand over the award. The press here made a big deal over Streep's comment that she "likes" Chinese films. Fascinating!
I'm having a tough time finding a good online source for Iranian films, but here's a start: fajrfilmfest.com. Actors' names are inconsistently listed around the web, but one of the lead actors, (perhaps) Hossein Abedini, in Tradition of Lover Killing was also in Baran, which did well in the international festival circuit, and received an Oscar nod.
Tradition of Lover Killing has some superb shots of snowy landscapes, and it's worth viewing for this alone. It's been referred to as a "low budget" film -- by what reference point? -- and if this is the case, Euro/American low budget films have a thing to learn from the quality of the lens work here. If only SIFF's Hengshan Theater projectionist knew how to focus...argh.
Like so many Iranian films that play the festival/art house circuit, the characters work desperately hard, make sacrifices, to save their family or (desired) lover, but we know all along that it will end in tragedy. In Tradition of Lover Killing, the final end, however, is an intriguing moment of magical realism.
I confess that I walked out thinking "can't we have a happy ending for a change?" I try not to make simple-minded comparisons to "other Iranian movies" but I felt like I was watching the same theme I'd seen in the last 20 Iranian films I've seen.
One capsule review called this film a "prison drama" but this is really not the case. Prison plays a small part. It's really about desperation, hope, love, and snowy landscapes. (Written by Michael Ohlsson)
Watch Rasme Ashegh Koshi
More films created by Khosro Masumi
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