L'échiquier du vent

Mohammadreza Aslani has managed to create a story containing symbols for all major Iranian members of society during an unclear time in either Qajar or Pahlavi dynasty, including the wealthy aristocrats, the struggling community under the poverty line, the narcissistic religious community, the intellectual thinkers and men and women of a traditional belief system, all of whom live under the same roof in a stylish enormous house resembling both contemporary and ancient Peraian paintings, which forms a gothic tale of greed and murder, leading to symbolic foreshadowing of multiple revolutions that have and are bound to take place in Iran. Though such references might mostly be comprehended by an Iranian audience, its unique form of storytelling, in addition to its masterful use of light and colour, will undoubtedly capture the eyes of any audience. It is, also, worth highlighting that in Chess of the Wind, the most dazzling performances in the history of Iranian cinema are witnessed, particularly those of Fakhri Korvash as Khanoom Koochik and Shohreh Aghdashloo ( later nominated for an Academy Award for House of Sand and Fog ) as Kaniz whose dynamic is not to be missed.

I'm not much of a connoisseur when it comes to Persian movies, but I'm pretty sure this is one of the best movies made in that era. The score, the production design, the cinematography, they were all terrific. The film's lighting was also fantastic, reminiscent of Barry Lyndon.

"Paying more attention to form than content, Aslani's expertise as a dramaturge is also humbled by his coordination of atmosphere and suspense, summoning a creepily ethnic, swelling percussive score by Sheyda Gharachedaghi, CHESS OF THE WIND's climatic confrontation looks like an out-and-out horror, the paraplegic daughter gruelingly and sinuously crawls about under the dim sepia light, you can barely make out her expressions and features, she morphs into a startled feral creature, operating with the primal instinct for self-preservation, to face the unseen threat with a final showdown. Eventually, the rushed ending leaves a bathetic aftertaste and Aghdashloo's expressiveness is left largely untapped, but CHESS OF THE WIND is such a rara avis in its own terms, indefinable, claustrophobic, conforming to an unrealistic tenet of cause and effect, that you ought to hand it to Aslani and his team for the muscular and idiosyncratic implementation of their own transgressive ideation and craft."

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This movie looks good - I mean it really looks good. Cinematography combined with set design and the editing that was done. Costumes and gadgets work hand in hand together - the story plays sort of a second fiddle to it. It has some horror influences to it - nothing that will shock you too much of course.

More than rock solid, especially if you really are into appearances. Acting is good and for the time it was made and where it was made, the movie tries to push some boundaries story wise for sure ... the pacing is something you will either be on board with or not. Because watching trivial washing or other activities that are not really suspensful - but look good and do something for the characters, is something you have to dig - suspend your disbelief and just go with the slow flow.

Beautiful images and lighting (with no electricity) of Teheran in the Twenties but the final crane shots reveal a modern day Teheran skyline with multistoried buildings and air-conditioning vents (a nod perhaps to Geza von Redvanyi's 1965 film "Uncle Tom's Cabin"). Two realities separated by time. The simplistic tale of greed for pelf and power is interspersed with chorus elements of Greek plays (here washerwomen discussing the lives of rich inhabitants of the mansion in the background.)