Closed Curtain
Closed Curtain پرده | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jafar Panahi Kambuzia Partovi |
Written by | Jafar Panahi |
Produced by | Jafar Panahi Hadi Saeedi |
Starring | Kambuzia Partovi Maryam Moqadam Jafar Panahi |
Cinematography | Mohamad Reza Jahanpanah |
Edited by | Jafar Panahi |
Production company | Jafar Panahi Film Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
Country | Iran |
Language | Persian |
Box office | $27,091[1] |
Closed Curtain (Persian: پرده, Pardeh) is a 2013 Iranian docufiction film by Jafar Panahi and Kambuzia Partovi. It premiered at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival[2][3][4] on February 12, 2013[5] where Panahi won the Silver Bear for Best Script.[6] It was shot secretly at Panahi's own beachfront villa on the Caspian Sea. Panahi stated that he began shooting the film in a state of melancholy but managed to recover by the film's completion. Closed Curtain is Panahi's second film since his 20-year ban on filmmaking after 2011's This Is Not a Film.
The film was selected as the closing film of the 2013 Hong Kong International Film Festival.[7]
Plot
An unnamed screenwriter (Kambozia Partovi) arrives at a secluded three-story villa on the Caspian Sea. He secretly brings along his pet dog named "Boy". Dogs are considered unclean under Islamic rule and the writer intends to hide "Boy" from authorities as he tries to get some writing done. The writer shaves his head to disguise his identity and covers all the windows in the villa with black, opaque material.
One night during a thunderstorm Melika (Maryam Moqadam) and her brother Reza (Hadi Saeedi) break into the villa. They tell the writer that they have fled from an illegal beach party in which alcohol was consumed and are hiding from the police. The writer demands that they leave, but Reza states that his sister is suicidal and then leaves Melika there while he looks for a car.
The presence of Melika begins to unsettle the writer. Melika speaks to the writer cryptically and theatrically, often lying and demanding to know about personal details from the writer's life. The writer becomes increasingly paranoid and begins to suspect Melika of being a police spy. Melika wants to open the curtains against the writers protests. Melika suddenly vanishes and the writer is left alone. When he hears the back patio door smashed open, the writer and "Boy" hide and listen to the sounds of the house being ransacked by thieves.
The film abruptly changes and becomes more surrealistic when film director Jafar Panahi and other film crew members appear in the villa, with the entire film up to that point having been fictitious. Panahi is seen in everyday situations, such as eating, talking to workers who repair the patio window and interacting with friends. Characters from earlier in the film begin to haunt Panahi, especially Melika. Melika leaves the villa and goes into the water. Panahi follows her there, but the film is suddenly rewound and he finds himself in the villa again. On a cell phone he looks at pictures of filming in the house, showing the writer as he first meets Melika and Reza. At the end of the film Panahi leaves the villa as Melika looks on.
Cast
- Kambozia Partovias the writer
- Maryam Moqadam as Melika
- Jafar Panahi as himself
- Hadi Saeedi as Reza, Melika's brother
- Azadh Torabi as Melika's sister
- Zeynab Khanum as himself[8]
- Abolghasem Sobhani as Agha Olia
- Mahyar Jafaripour as the young brother
- Ramin Akhariani as a worker
- Sina Mashyekhi as a worker
Production
Closed Curtain is Panahi's seventh feature film and Partovi's eighth. It is their fifth cinematic collaboration of any kind, following The Second Look (a documentary about Partovi's film Golnar), The Fish, The Circle and Border Café. The film was shot in secret with a crew of four to five people at Panahi's home.[9] Partovi said that scenes with curtains on the windows were shot last so as to avoid raising suspicion or getting Panahi into trouble.[10] The subject of suicide is discussed throughout the film and Panahi has been said to have suffered from depression since his legal troubles began. When asked about the subject at the Berlin Film festival, Partovi stated that Panahi "was not constantly thinking about suicide, no, because then he wouldn't have been able to make the film. But if I imagine myself unable to work and just sitting at home, then I am sure I would start to think about suicide." Panahi stated that he was in a state of deep melancholy when shooting began, but that he recovered by the film's completion.[11]
Release
Closed Curtain was announced as being selected to screen in competition of the
Iranian response
In response to the Best Script Award Javad Shamaqdari, the head of the
Reception
Closed Curtain has an approval rating of 91% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 44 reviews, and an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Ambitious and exquisitely crafted, Jafar Panahi's semi-nonfiction tale is a powerful, imaginative portrait of an artist's despair".[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]
References
- ^ "Closed Curtain (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Banned From Filmmaking, Jafar Panahi Has Made Another Movie, Says Abbas Kiarostami". indiewire.com. 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
- ^ "Berlin Festival Adds Jafar Panahi's 'Closed Curtain', Steven Soderbergh's 'Side Effects'". deadline.com. 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
- ^ a b "BERLIN 2013: Steven Soderbergh's 'Side Effects,' Shia LaBeouf Action Comedy in Competition". The Hollywood Reporter. 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
- ^ "Pardé". berlinale.de. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
- ^ a b "Prizes of the International Jury". berlinale. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "HKIFF Review: Closed Curtain". HK Neo Reviews. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
- ^ "Berlinale Competition 2013: Another Nine Films Confirmed". berlinale.de. 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
- ^ "You must already be smart. How can rotate movies in Iran, a conversation with Kamboziya Partovi". Berliner Zeitung, No. 39, p.28. Berliner Zeitung. 2013-02-15.
- ^ "'Closed Curtain': Dissident Iranian Director Debuts New Film At Berlin Film Festival". Huffington Post. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Jafar Panahi's 'Closed Curtain' premieres to warm Berlin reception". The Los Angeles Times. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Berlin: Chilly fest kicks off with protestors, celebs". variety.com. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
- ^ "Iran protests Berlin film award for banned Jafar Panahi". in.reuters.com. 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
- ^ "Berlin replies to Iran's complaint about Jafar Panahi award". variety.com. 2013-02-20. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- ^ "Jafar Panahi's Closed Curtain collaborators grounded in Iran". guardian.co.uk. 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
- ^ "37th Hong Kong Film Festival films". hkiff.org.hk. 2013-03-02. Archived from the original on 2013-04-12. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
- ^ "Closed Curtain (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "Closed Curtain Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Rodek, Hanns-Georg (2013-02-13). "Versteck dich nicht!". Die Welt, Nr. 37, S. 25. Die Welt.
- ^ "Closed Curtain". variety.org. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Closed Curtain (Parde): Berlin Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Berlin Review: Haunted By His Characters, Jafar Panahi Defies Iranian Government Again With Cryptically Self-Referential 'Closed Curtain'". indiewire.com. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Berlin Film Festival 2013: 'Closed Curtain' review". indiewire.com. 2013-02-12. Archived from the original on 2013-02-16. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "The banned film of Jafar Panahi". pravda.ru. 2013-02-18. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
External links
- Closed Curtain at IMDb
- Official Berlin International Film Festival program page
- Reviews at Film Zeit (in German)