Towers of Silence

Jamil Dehlavi is a fascinating filmmaker, controversial in his home country Pakistan. My first encounter with him was his film about Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was played by the legendary Sir Christopher Lee. This film, Tower of Silence (1975), is his first feature film, which he also wrote, produced and directed. It is a highly mysterious film of c. 50 minutes, which will leave you in awe.

The elegant black and white cinematography keeps you hooked for its entire duration. Scenes set in the present and past are interwoven, making you question their coherence. The images are haunting, grotesque and surrealistic, but at times also tender. It shows some of the enigmatic aspects of the religion of the Zoroastrians.

Animals have a particular role, as independently coexisting beside human beings. There are ants in the toilet, and vultures eating human flesh. Together with its surrealistic atmosphere, it reminded me of Luis Buñuel's and Salvador Dalí's Un chien Andalou (1929), or the cruelties in Alejandro Jodorowsky's films.

This movie deserves a reappreciation!