Homework

I've only recently discovered Kiarostami. In the last few weeks I've watched "The Wind will Carry Us", "Under the Olive Trees" and now "Homework". Yes, they are slow. No they are not action packed, exciting or epic. But in each case, I'm glad I persevered. "Homework" is probably the slowest of the three I've seen, and I have to admit I did consider giving up after half an hour or so. But when it finished, I was very glad I'd watched it. The conclusion is very moving, but has to be seen in the context of the whole film, so don't just jump to the end.

What his films show you is that Iranian people are very much like you and me. Each has his or her own problems and concerns. Kiarostami finds beauty and intensity in what appear to be mundane situations. He has a great eye for simple situations which have wider implications. A great director.

A nice little documentary about parenting in Iran, from the child's point of view, in as much as it presents the parents attitudes to their children reguarding education. And the children infront of the camera say more than any adult could, as is always the way. Unfortunatly the director spends a little too much time explaining himself at the begining, talking about what kind of film he might or might not make in a slightly pretentious way. And the continual cutting from child to camera man (the director himself, looking directorly) doesn't quite work. But when the children are left to just get on with it the film flows along nicely. A useful insight into Iran, a country that, despite the recent wave of movies, remains shamefully unknown to the average European or American.

Comprised mostly of interviews of 6-year-old kids who've had problems getting their homework done at a public school in Tehran, patterns begin emerging that form the basis for a criticism of the education system in Iran in 1989. At the heart of it is learning by rote, with a sizable percentage of parents, illiterate themselves, ill-equipped to help their children at home. The kids painfully know what corporal punishment is, most often in the form of a parent hitting them with a belt, but few ever having received a reward or encouragement. They chant invectives against Iraq and Saddam Hussein, just a year removed from the eight year war that killed hundreds of thousands of people, and they chant religious dogma lauding Ali and their Shi'ite faith. At one point an adult is interviewed, and he comments that creativity and critical reasoning should be fostered, comparing the state of affairs in Iran to other countries, and fearing for the future.

It's certainly sad to see these little faces reveal their lives to Kiarostami's simple questions, and the film is not short on emotional power. On the downside, I didn't much care for the frequent cuts back to the cameraman focusing on the kids, even if the intent of this(?) was to remind viewers of the power dynamic, and why kids would be lying by saying they preferred homework to cartoons; regardless, it seemed overdone to me. I also didn't like the cruelty Kiarostami showed to the last child, who was absolutely terrified of being interviewed alone, and yet got badgered with questions. This was undoubtedly left in the film to show how traumatized and fragile a child could be in this system; his troubles apparently stemming back to having been beaten by a teacher with a ruler so hard that it broke. He only snaps out of his anxiety when asked to sing a religious song, which he then belts out with confidence, which was an ominous warning of what the system was producing. It's a brilliant moment, but the ends didn't justify the means, and I was left conflicted by what I had seen. It's a documentary worth seeing though, and I wish we could see how these kids, now nearing 40, turned out.

This documentary is released in 1989, but obviously is filmed at least 2 or 3 years before that, as they talk several times about the war with Saddam.

Even though I was born in 1991, and didn't went to school until 1996 (almost 10 years after this documentary is filmed) but I totally understand this little, innocent fellas, Because I raised under the same toxic educational system. Everyday, I faced emotional abuse as well as physical abuse of myself or my classmates in the school. To be honest, I really do not remember even a single happy day at school, and that makes me really sad.

By watching this documentary, I remembered that I had a teacher in elementary school who touched kids too, in a sexual manner. Even though I didn't let him touch me and he refused to do that again after one or two tries, but I had seen sexual abuse of my friends in the class, in front of other classmates. We were under pressure, and we never educated to talk about sexual abuse, it was a shame for ourselves to talk about such things, and they did what they wanted with us, with no worries at all.

Watching this documentary bring back all those bad memories of school years. I feel pitty for myself, my classmates, and my generation in general.

It was by far the hardest film I have ever seen. My eyes was wet all over the film, for several times, I had to pause it for minutes and take a walk before continue watching it, and just before ending, when that poor little fella started singing Ey Khoda (O God), by hearing the first verse, I couldn't control myself anymore and started crying. Only those who raised in such educational system, can fully understand emotional and physical abuse that this Kiarostami is trying to picture.

P. S. For those of you who are wondering about current status of the education system of Iran, well, even though I do not have a kid myself, but as I know, educational system is changed a lot, in a good way, physical abuse is forbidden and homeworks are much less than before, but it is still far from an ideal system. Even today, we still read in news about physical abuse in school (several poor little fellas hospitalized or even died, and I'm sure there is much more cases which do not goes public at all).

The point that amazes me is the power of Kiarostami's films to make you smile, laugh, or cry at the same time. I can sense many more emotions in the movie because I speak Persian, and I'm glad that Kiarostami and I speak the same language. I suggest that all of you also watch "Where is the Friend's House" movie. At the end of seeing these movies by Kiarostami, you are happy that you didn't waste your time, and I think that is because he shoots from the heart. The depth and sincerity in Kiarostami's films truly touch the soul and leave a lasting impact. I highly recommend exploring his filmography to experience the magic of his storytelling and filmmaking.