Crimson Gold

It is small wonder that the Cannes Jury awarded its Un Certain Regard prize to this film, recalling as it does, with its narrative discontinuities, long takes of its protagonists scootering through Tehran traffic and its realist preoccupation with the mindane lives of two ordinary stiffs, the glory days of Nouvelle Vague, albeit more Godard than Truffaut. Written by Abbas Kiarostami (who also penned Panahi's The White Balloon in 2000) it is relatively exciting compared to that director's minimalist films although it is optimistic to call it in any way a "thriller", as does its publicity. To what extent the style is genuinely motivated by the demands of the subject and to what extent it is determined by self-conscious theoretical concerns will divide audiences.

Hussein (Hossain Emadeddin) is a former foot-soldier who has never fully recovered from the psychological trauma of the war with Iraq, is now on medication and delivers pizzas to well-to-do, Westernized customers. Piqued by his lowly situation he ends up robbing an upmarket jewellery store and in the process manages to kill its manager before committing suicide. Based on a real story, the Iranian authorities were upset with Panahi for his depiction of a fatally-divided society and banned the film, dismissing him as an American pawn. Opening with the failed robbery, Hussein's story is told in flashback as a series of episodes as, egged on by his friend and fellow delivery man, Ali (Kamyar Sheisi), the heavily-sedated Hussein slowly comes to the conclusion that life has dealt him too poor a hand to endure. This is a potentially gripping story about one of life's small tragedies but Panahi's implacably detached approach will make it for most a slow, possibly frustrating, possibly fascinating journey to a pre-determined destination.

FYI: If you are interested in this film, check out Panahi's 2011 documentary, This Is Not A Film in which he reflects on working with non-professional actors and in particular Hossain Emadeddin's performance here.

Available from: Madman

 

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