“Use your enemy’s hand to catch a snake. “….Persian Proverb
There were no snakes in the movie, Baran, and there were really no enemies either. For the four weeks of August, the public library in this little town of Orem, UT is conducting an Iranian Film Festival. Could have pushed me over with a slight breeze when I first heard about it.
Honestly, I have been very surprised by the nature of this Mormon community. The people are social conservatives, in the context of American culture; but they are also internationalists. In my experience that is an oxymoron; social conservatives tend not to be internationally inclined.
I am working with a group of 15-20 young (late 20’s – early 30’s) sales guys, and I am going to guess they are all Mormons. I am sure I am the only agnostic in the room. Almost every one of these young men speaks a foreign language, and some 2-3. Why I asked, are all of you multi-lingual? It is because they have all been on missions of one year or more to foreign countries. That missionary tradition as experienced by this group of young people, has developed into a broad knowledge and respect for the people of other countries and cultures. I am guessing this respectful attitude has developed as a result of the multi-cultural ethic of modern Western American culture.
So I guess it really isn’t a surprise that Iranian films are being shown, and well attended, in the town of Orem. If you decide to rent this movie, don’t expect political commentary or controversy. The film’s backdrop includes a large, underprivileged Afghan refugee community living in Iran, but this is a quiet, personal relationship movie. The filmmaker, Majid Majidi, does not attempt to use the bad treatment of Afghans in any fractious or divisive manner, it simply is what it is. It does however, provide an impetus and slight tension for the central drama concerning the attraction between a young Iranian and a young Afghani. I will say no more.
I recommend Baran with both of my thumbs up. Next weeks movie – Children of Heaven, same filmmaker; it was nominated for Best Foreign Film in the 1998 Academy Awards.
Personal note to Earl – this is a better film than Finns make…:-)
Hi Peter,
Sounds like you are enjoying yourself. You just need to spend more time with the Finns before jumping to hasty conclusions – don’t you like assertive females? We (Jim, Magrit and I) had a good walk up Pilchuck on Thursday. Looks like the week of September 10th works for me for our Pilchuck adventure.
Earl
Earl – I am enjoying myself. Looking forward to the hike up Pilchuck with you in Sept. As for Finnish women, well I wouldn’t know about that – but Finnish films, that’s another thing entirely! See you soon.
Peter