For the cognoscenti, Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf (The Cyclist, Salaam Cinema) is one of the most exciting contemporary filmmakers around. Not yet 40, and already the subject of a number of retrospectives on the festival circuit, Makhmalbaf has built up a body of work which indicates that behind the direct and simple stories he weaves, lies a deep, sophisticated and profoundly human artist.
His new film, Gabbeh (the title refers to a rare brand of car-pets produced in a remote south-western region of Iran), is a kind of folk tale.
"Originally, it was supposed to be a short documentary," says Makhmalbaf, "but in the process of preparing it, it turned into a full-length feature film."
An old woman holds the sec-ret of weaving the gabbeh; her creative designs are inspired by the life, history and legends of the nomads. The camera captures her washing one of the carpets, which carries the image of a young girl; the girl's name is also Gabbeh (Shaghayeh Djodat) and her love story is one of the two narrative threads running through the film. Gabbeh's uncle, played by Abbas Sayaahi, provides the counterpoint; an old teacher and poet, he returns from the city to live among his own people and teach the children how to obtain the unique colours needed for the carpets from the flowers in the field.
Some of Gabbeh's imagery, such as the oil wells in flames, will certainly lend themselves to political interpretations, which is only natural, given the director's record. Makhmalbaf joined the fundamentalist movement while still a boy, and was arrested at the age of 17. He then spent five years in prison before being released by the revolutionary Islamic regime after the Shah's demise.
"At the time, I truly believed everything could be fixed through politics," Makhmalbaf said in an interview with the French film magazine Positif.
Life and experience taught him otherwise, and Makhmalbaf turned from activism to art as a means of confronting injustice. The Iranian authorities still do not always see eye to eye with him though, and Time for Love (1989) which screened last year in Un Certain Regard, has been banned at home.
"I do not believe in revolution any more, but in a progressive mutual understanding," explains the director. While Makhmalbaf continues to make films in Iran, it is only the French producer, Marin Karmitz, which gives him the margin of freedom he needs in order to pursue his career unhindered.
Edna Fainaru
Prod co: Sanaye Dasti (Iran), MK2 Productions (France)
Prod: Khalil Daroudtchi, Khalil Mahmoudi
Dir/Scr/Ed: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Ph: Mahmoud Kalari
Music: Hossein Alizadeh
Cast: Shaghayegh Djodat, Hossein Moharami, Roghieh Moharami, Abbas Sayahi
Running time: 75mins
International sales: MK2
