The Gardener

... a cinematic approach calling in mind Parajanov and his Sayat Nova ... Paula Asadi's apparition in the movie, a diaphanous dance, like she's coming from a god, impossible to define ... a prophetess telling an ethereal message ... and the birds drawing high in the sky paths seeming to go towards an unknown deity ... Baha'i originated in Iran, where it is now forbidden, it is hosted by Israel, a land forbidden for Iranians ... a forbidden faith, beautiful as a forbidden dream, in a forbidden land ... and the impression that the movie is made just in front of your eyes, through trial and error ... a cinematic journey, inviting us to meditate together with them, about faith and reality, about the link (illusory? Certain?) between the mundane and the beyond ... the father and the son are both agnostics, however their difference of age makes the difference ... for the father all he witnesses in the Baha'i Gardens puts into question his ways ... the son is a rebel, with clear-cut certitudes and definitive answers ... we all passed through his age ... we all were once rebels ... and the meditation is ultimately not only about a religion (or any religion), it is about the path between objective and illusion ... our objective universe and the universe of art, or of faith ... but this is common to all great Iranian filmmakers ...

The "Gardener" is a work of art with a profound message. One may not appreciate Makhmalbaf's abstract and poetic style of film making, but his genuine desire to explore and understand is undeniable and truly admirable. This was not a typical documentary, filled with facts and figures, but a moving portray of an artist's journey to what has been and still remains a forbidden land in the minds of many Iranians, and explore a Faith that is persecuted for 170 years in it's birthplace. I highly recommend it. But you may want to watch couple his other works in advance, such as Gabbeh and The Silence. Btw "Gardener" was financed solely by Makhmalbaf, so he could protect it from the influence of the investors.

The Gardener contains several scenes that raised intriguing questions about the role of faith in humanity's evolution and other scenes that answered those questions through the unfiltered testimony of individual believers. The cinematic style was a little surreal for my taste, but it accentuated the moments of realism, like comets occasionally streaking across a crowded night sky. Hopefully the film will be shown in southern California again. It created quite a buzz in the Baha'i community, but many were not able to make it to LA during its one-week run. I know I would see it again...and bring friends! To me, the most amazing thing about the film is the director's courage to put his career, awards, and life on the line to make a documentary film about a Faith that is not his own.