Downpour, 1972
In a small town in Iran, schoolteacher Mr. Hekmati (Parviz Fanizadeh) arrives at his new position and struggles with being seen as an outsider. When the adult sister of one of his students, Atefeh (Parvaneh Massoumi), comes to the school to argue with him about how her brother has been disciplined, a conversation between the two in an empty schoolroom becomes the basis of the whole town suspecting the two are engaged in an illicit romance. This puts both Hekmati and Atefeh on the spot, as it is assumed that Atefeh will marry the local butcher and tough guy, Rahim (Manuchehr Farid).
This is a really neat film, which uses the structure of a romantic comedy to lay out implicit political critiques about the dynamics of watching and being watched.
Part of the way through this film, I began to get the feeling that I was missing something really important about what the film was saying. I am incredibly grateful for an essay that was written by Hamid Naficy (the essay is called "Furtive Glances" and is available on the Criterion website) that helped me to understand the political context of the film. The movie was made at a time when many Iranians were frustrated and fearful by the government's spying (and torture and execution) on citizens.
Even without the understanding of the underlying political content, there is a lot to enjoy in this film. I always say it's a good sign when I agonize over which still image to include in a review. There are so many delightful visuals here, especially in the first half.
The film makes great use of expansive spaces, such as in a shot where we see the protagonist up high on a ladder as he works to fix up an old theater space or in the long shots of students doing exercises in the school's blacktop. There are also some very funny visual moments, like a character trying to exit a room that is full of a comically absurd number of overturned chairs.
On the surface, the romance itself is almost textbook. Hekmati and Atefeh cautiously circle each other for ages, finally having a breakthrough conversation during a rainstorm where they share an umbrella. The town delights in gossiping about the pair. Rahim, obsessed with his hair and harrumphing around the town is basically a real human version of Gaston from
Beauty and the Beast. In a montage sequence, Hekmati cleans up the theater space so that the children can perform in it.
But underneath this fairly typical story, the watchful eye of the entire town becomes something more menacing. It doesn't seem that way at first. At first it feels like a built-in part of the slapstick nature of the movie. The image at the top of this review is preceded by a shot in which there are no children.
The way that the children suddenly appear (not just behind the tree, but up in the trees) feels almost like some demented homage to
The Birds. But in the third act, where we expect a typical resolution, things take a turn. The relentless surveillance and suspicion is no longer a fun, exaggerated quirk. It becomes something that does permanent harm.
Overall I thought that this movie was very strong. It does feel a bit overlong by maybe 20 minutes. There's a sequence toward the end where Hekmati goes out drinking with someone else that just felt like it dragged and dragged. The film finishes really strong, but the 15 minutes that come before the last 10 minutes kind of stall out the film's momentum.
Definitely recommended. This film was barely saved from oblivion and required an extensive restoration.
Reply to Topic
. but i miss the old cartoon from back in the day 
