Tabestan-e Dagh

28th STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. DAY 2, NOV 9th 2017. International premiere.

‪A harrowing depiction of the consequences of the oppression of women, privately and in society in large. Engaging, well-made and eye-opening.‬

‪"Searing Summer" (2017) is the feature film debut by Iranian director Ebrahim Irajzad. It was shot on location in Tehran. The screenplay, written by Payam Karami, gives a depiction of the problems of class segregation and the powerlessness of women in modern Iranian society.‬

I enjoyed watching this movie and would have given it 7.5/10. Suspension felt in the storyline reminds me of Farhadi's works, in particular About Elli and 4-shanbe Soory. However, a big difference here is that this movie does not have an open ending nor makes the audience guess or judge anyone and anything.

The story flows smoothly and is engaging. In a very believable way it depicts a natural flow of events that each of us can see happening around us. The story avoids making the audience emotional; on the contrary, seems it deliberately tries keeping one's brain work and analyze the situation, without the need to judge any of the characters.

Performances are very natural. The cast present a great work, but in particular I like Izadyar's natural performance.

After "A Separation," Asghar Farhadi's Oscar winner, many resembling Iranian movies are made that are sometimes categorized as social realist movies. As recent one of them, Searing Summer has borrowed many elements of A Separation: death of a child, lies and hesitation, and (again) an imminent separation! Yet, you can enjoy it: precisely thought detailed script, natural acting, acceptable cinematography, and at least one moving sequence. a good debut for its director and writer. Way to go!