synopsis

Drama about a family in crisis after the father has been killed in an accident. He has been making a livelihood by performing acrobatics on his motor cycle.

After his death, Setareh, his daughter and her brother, who have partially been trained on the motor cycle, decide to continue their father’s work. --BFI



Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Mohammad Kasebi, Azita Hajian, Mehrdad Sedighian, Masumeh Mirhosseini, Manuchehr Azari, Mohammad Ali Dashti, Zahra Meygoli, Kourosh Sotoodeh

Produced by: Haroon Yashayayi
Music by: Mohammad Reza Aligholi     
Cinematography by: Hossein Jafarian     
Editing by: Hassan Hassandoost    

A Pakhshiran production. Produced by Haroun Yashayaei. Directed by Mohammad Ali Talebi. Screenplay, Mohammad Ali Tal, Shirin Bina.

A young working-class woman confronts stereotypes of femininity and ends up riling Iran's arbiters of Islamic conduct in "The Wall," a gently subversive melodrama whose modesty hides an enormous message. Decidedly Sirkian in the way helmer Mohammad Ali Talebi ("You Are Free") uses standard meller concepts to pointedly comment on societal restraints, the pic won best cinematography at the national awards in Fajr, though its pointed criticism of the theocratic regime may put the kibosh on local distribution. International fests should step in to ensure it's seen.

Once again, young star Golshifteh Farahani ("Half Moon") gives a standout performance, here as tomboy extraordinaire Setareh. More interested in tinkering with the insides of computers and car engines than in helping mom (Azita Hajian) with chores, she's 100% spunk. Setareh developed her skills at the knee of father, a motorcycle daredevil who recently lost his life while performing in a fairground attraction called the Wall of Death.

Layabout brother Shahab (Mehrdad Sedighian) inherited the motorcycle spot, but his freewheeling instincts are limited, and concession owner Mahmood (Mohammad Kasebi) wants to sell the place. Setareh literally grabs the wheel, showing off her wild abandon in the dangerous ride, which consists of driving the motorcycle around the inner wall of a large wooden cylinder until she's practically perpendicular to the edge.

Shahab and their mother are furious, but Setareh's phenomenal success means they have an income again, and soon everyone is reconciled to the enthusiastic new breadwinner. But then the authorities catch wind and shut the place down for a "failure to observe Islamic rules of conduct."

With various subplots, Talebi and co-scripter Shirin Bina reinforce the notion that the people of Iran want more freedom, yet are afraid of countering the government's stance. Setareh loses the allies who promised her the world before the authorities clamped down; her best friend shows support while buckling under her father's desire to select a suitor for her. The irony is that Setareh's lack of interest in the trappings of femininity is itself an instinctive feminist cry in a nation where women's freedom is so tightly constricted.

While making similar points to those in "The Day I Became a Woman," and even Mohsen Makhmalbaf's "The Cyclist," Talebi uses a far simpler structure, in keeping with his other films in which children and youth are the focus. While his approach is populist, he refrains from predictable formulas.

Young Farahani positively leaps off the screen with winning energy and the freshness of youth unhindered by self-analysis. The whole point is that she's nature's creation, not a personality to be boxed in by rules.

The 35mm print was held up in customs, so the Taormina fest was forced to project from a DVD; consequently, Hossein Jafarian's award-winning lensing was impossible to judge. Music is schmaltzy, but ultimately in keeping with overall style.