A 1998 Iranian film of extraordinary power from first time director Samira Makhmalbaf, who was just 17 when she made this. It follows a true story of a family of 4 in poverty stricken Iran. There is a father who sells bread and salt to passers by in the street, a blind mother and twin 11 year old girls. The girls have been kept within the confines of the house and modest yard their entire lives and having never seen the outside world, they are oblivious to the wonders and dangers that lie outside their all too familiar 4 walls. Neighbours make a formal complaint about the sisters being held captive and a social worker comes to take them away. Before long they are back at home under express understanding they will not be kept locked up, but nothing changes, the parents are afraid of letting them out of their sight. Once again the social worker arrives to ensure the girls are allowed to be children by making friends and playing in the street. However, with no social experience this isn't that easy and doesn't go as smoothly as it should.
The film itself asks the questions about parental protection for the children's good versus captivity based on parents' beliefs. I believe it does a good job of leaving things open to interpretation to the audience as to whether things are done for right or wrong, good or evil. Within a brief 84 minutes, ot covers alot of important themes and an in depth picture is built up of this slice of time and space.
I watched it for the second time last night and had around about the same thoughts about it as the first watch, but this time I was more struck by the skill of the filmmaker and cast. The first image shown is that of a plant in a pot being watered, however the water is being poured on the rim and just besides the pot, just missing the plant. Someone is making honest efforts to cultivate it, but has inadvertently done no good atall, and may have done harm. I believe this is a metaphor for the message of the fine line between helping and hurting something you are responsible for. Technically it's very simply shot, mostly in one small location, and only has about ten characters, but it is acted so authentically by inexperienced performers (especially the two girls, played by real life sisters Zahra and Massoumeh Naderi) that it could be mistaken for a documentary, making it all the more memorable.
This is a poignant, touching, funny film, unlike anything else, that everyone should see.
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