Drei Gesichter

First of all I want to share my emotions after the movie (I will not add any words that contain spoilers). This film is just worth to be watched if you want to know what is happening in the lives of people in countries where honor and dignity are above all. Above their desires, their grand dreams, their plans, their lives. How it's difficult for people to live, according to our humble version, in the mountainous settlements of Iran (South Azerbaijan). How hard they have to live when there is not enough help from the townspeople. But despite all this, everything ends at the will of the person himself, whose desires are above honor and dignity.

This is a brilliant film. Beautiful, poignant, unpredictable, quite harsh yet with a few sparks of humour. The actors (mostly playing themselves) and the screenplay are amazing. It does require a lot of attention and analysis, as it covers several social issues (artists' and women's rights mainly) with subtle metaphors and a peculiar visual "language". Some moments were a bit too cryptic for me, probably due to a cultural gap. You have to respect Jafar Pahani for managing to create such a rich and multi-layered visual story under such hard conditions and constraints. I highly recommend "Se rokh".

Panahi's preference of non-professional performers contribute a great reality atmospehere in fictitous story. Panahi takes us to Azerbaijani-Turk coast of Iran and narrates a real view of desires, demands, expactations, hope and lack of opportunities in provincial life within colourful and peculiar culture of Iran.

The old, forgotten actress, the established, popular actress and an aspiring actress. Against the cultural landscape of Iran it can be tricky to do this profession as a woman.

Metafiction, docufiction and everything in between. Of course, it's Jafar Panahi, it's expected to find plenty of discourse about movie-making and its difficulties. At one point, the actress is trying to explain to an old villager that the actor he admires cannot come back to Iran anymore and Panahi cannot leave Iran. It's a short line, we get it. The man doesn't, of course, but it wasn't really for him. There's also a healthy dose of criticism against the patriarchy by merely observing these people and letting it all play out. There is no discourse served to the audience, no loud, rousing statements. Some of these men would kill to avenge their skewed idea of honour.

Although I appreciated most of the scenes, it did feel a little too long, although it's really not, and maybe Panahi's metafiction is beginning to wear me out. But I guess he did get a chance to make the movie he was referring to in "This Is Not a Film". At least the core idea from there is the same, even if the story goes to a different place. Girl from a conservative family wants to study, but her family forbids it. She contemplates suicide.

Jafar Panahi is a legendary Iranian director who has been banned from making films for 20 years. Despite this, he continues to create and express himself as an artist. Watching a new film by Panahi is incredibly gratifying because he is a savvy rebel who laughs in the face of his sentence and produces fascinating cinematic works. Panahi has mastered the art form of filmmaking with startling finesse, and he manipulates and evolves it in unique and exciting ways.

His latest film, "3 Faces", is a tragic story about the strength of women. It suggests that misogyny still exists in Iran. The film is enigmatic and enlightening.