Jafar Panahi’s latest is the story of a man who kidnaps a man called Peg Leg who had tortured him when he was arrested. He wants to bury him alive in the desert, but finds he isn’t 100% certain he is right. He then tries to get confirmation, and things begin to spiral off unexpectedly.
This is a low key black comedy with a sting in its tail. As
things go, our hero picks up various people to help him decide if this is the
guy. No one is completely certain since
they were blindfolded the whole time, so there is a lot of discussion about if
they are sure, it’s the right guy. It’s a film that walks uneasily on the line
between entertainment and political statement. I think it mostly remains on the
side of entertainment. (Though it occasionally falls into the realm of polemic
more than Panahi’s other recent films).
To be fair I was feeling lost for about the first 15
minutes. I did not know where the film was going because so much was unsaid.
Once we were told why things were playing out I was fine.
I really liked this.
While I don’t think it’s quite up to Panahi’s other recent films, I do
think it’s quite good on its own terms. (I also understand why some of my
friends were not thrilled with the film since the low key nature of the telling
is not for everyone.)
Recommended, especially for fans of the director.
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