Death Without Cause...
A Review of Cause of Death: Unknown

By Amirata Joolaee, IIFMA
The Iranian Independent Filmmakers' Association

Seven passengers are on a sideway, traveling in the heart of Iranian deserts, before sunrise. After a short while, one of the passengers is found dead. Searching the dead body for an ID, they find a large amount of money hidden under his vest…

"Cause of Death: Unknown" had its world premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival on June 13, 2023.

The film was nominated in the four categories of best film, best director, best cinematography and best actor at the Shanghai International Film Festival and won the best cinematography award.

The first film by Ali Zarnegar receives an overall acceptable grade. The writer and director's extensive experience, including his frequent involvement in short cinema, writing numerous plays, and hosting photo exhibitions, has had a positive impact on the film's quality.



Drawing inspiration from classical plays, the film effectively creates tension and poses dramatic questions within a limited space, and in the Iranian desert, the film showcases the director's visual sensibility through various striking images. And also it is more mature in performance than a simple experiment with camera, actor and theme.

Perhaps the film is considered part of the trend known as the "Farhadi syndrome" because of its hidden moral content, but what sets Cause of Death: Unknown apart from others is the filmmaker's clear moral stance.

In accepting the influence of Farhadi, which is also evident in other Zarnegar scripts (ALAFZAR and especially No Date, No Signature), the film presents a clear example of its influence. When everyone faces the reality of their fellow traveler's death, they stand in a circle and take turns expressing their opinion. Others often disagree. Showcasing Farhadi's direct influence here goes beyond the idea and reminds me of the mise-en-scène and performance of similar chapters from About Elly (2008).

It should be emphasized that one of the unique advantages of Zarnegar's work is that not accompanying one of the opponents of the government with the immoral action of the surrounding people throughout the film (which is likely one of the reasons for the seizure of the film, in addition to referring to numbers 78, 88, and 98, as well as the ending of the film and the failure of the police, or the controversial chapters of a possibly sexual joke and a couple's farewell) and the thought-provoking ending of the movie, which offers an interpretation that places the concept of continuous guilt in the viewer's mind.

The linear story of the film is provocative as it sets up a moral court. The passengers of a linear van are on their way to Kerman when one of them suddenly dies. The rest of the helpless passengers call the hospital, but it is midnight and the operator informs them that he cannot send a doctor along with the ambulance. However, the presence of a doctor is necessary to issue a death certificate. The deceased had a plastic bag containing a large amount of dollars with him, leading the story in a new direction.



Zarnegar successfully pays attention to the general storyline and raises questions for the viewer, but the portrayal of the characters' past is not as successful. For example, I can mention the driver and the young girl. In the case of the driver, there are elements that suggest his character is not meant to be stereotypical. For example, when he takes off his shirt, the t-shirt he is wearing underneath has a hole in it (I do not wear my party dress to work.) and then, instead of saying goodbye to his past life, he goes down into a newly found hell. But it is not believable that as soon as he realizes the woman's interest in him, he leaves a lifetime of honorable life. For example, in a dialogue from the movie:("We face challenges like you, but we are not as driven by greed." Or "I have never taken extra money or fare from my passenger.") On the other hand, the characters played by Banipal Shoomoon and Alireza Sanifar are more dramatic and attractive. The background and personality of these two actors make them different in the quality of performance. The twists of both characters are very well written and executed. Neither the prisoner is similar to the familiar prisoner of our minds, nor is the employee similar to the employee we have seen many times in Iranian cinema.

Unfortunately, there is a fundamental problem in the film that hinders its success. It is evident that the filmmaker aimed to add depth to the background of the characters' relationships, but the intermittent suspensions in the text disrupt the logical flow of the drama. For instance, the portrayal of the police lacks credibility and realism, as the officer's civilized behavior feels more like a fantasy, especially for those who have interacted with Iranian police. The officer's gullibility in being deceived and accepting that the thief stole the boy's documents and the girl's fabricated story about the boy's sick father do not align with the standards of a well-crafted script.You can further delve into the film by examining how is it that the police can inquire about the car, yet fail to investigate the marriage of the boy and the suspicious girl in the film? The boy's reaction and his heroic appearance, along with the waggery of the imprisoned man, is much more than the capacity of the drama. This is the only instance in the film where the government police are unintentionally criticized.

While I understand the author's intention to intricately weave the plot, the signs mentioned above indicate that it has not been successful. The possibility of stealing the character of the prisoner does not allow for a deeper exploration of the human psyche in a film that aims to address moral issues and also the suspense it creates feels empty and lacks meaning. The same is the common fear that the driver will leave with the money and run away.Their frequent delays on the hour and a half-long route become problematic. Some may argue that the need for the script to begin with the character's release from prison in an allegorical form exceeds the scope of the drama.Their frequent delays on the route which is an hour and a half become problematic. One could argue that the need for the script to start the story with the character being released from prison in an allegorical form, goes beyond the scope of the drama. Would it not have sufficed to mention that he was on leave for three days? Could this type of imprisonment, while still being free, not extend to other characters and to a broader scope?

Having said that, maybe this movie could have been a much better movie at around 80-90 minutes. Of course, there are many lovely elements of the script and performance.The exaggeration of the employee who claims to recognize Afghans from several miles away and his final scandal, the usefulness of his former job during the silent season of funerals, the play of the native youth with his sarcasm and pride and his teasing. It's a pity that your man's bag is not in your hands, the unexpected twist in the story, the prisoner's constant responsibility for artificial respiration, closing the window during the ride and not forgetting his fellow travelers after stealing wallets, pausing to bury the money on the ground as if he is testing the honesty of the employee's claim with his eyes, sensual scenes without dialogue in the film, and the cinematography by Davood Malek Hosseini, especially in difficult night and sandstorm scene.



The result of the film for the weak cinema of domestic production is the difficulty of an artist to design for his favorite theme. Emerging filmmaking in this day and age, when the conscience of filmmaking is ignored, shows characters who, even at the height of accepting the misery of their lives, are constantly seeking to meet the needs of others. The film's reference to the economic crisis in today's Iranian society, the bitterness of directing in an unfamiliar environment with all the expected variables, almost good performances and dialogue writing based on the differences between people are among the positive features of the movie Cause of Death: Unknown. Also, the design of behavioral tics to create distinction between characters, referring to the horrifying reality of the escape of anyone who has an angle with the government (perhaps the well-established expression of brain drain), and finally, the climax of all these themes, that is, the dilemma of the eternal question of honor or money. Zarnegar doesn't even make the assumption that the Baloch man's money might have been honorably earned. It is interesting here that after the sudden death of poor Baloch, no one among that crowd is curious about the man's family. I think that the fact that one can reflect on each of these thematic themes shows the author's success.

There is a chapter in the movie where we see the wind taking away the windfall money, but the clerk barely keeps his $100 with grotesque fear. The film's profound ability to engage with ethical challenges is not only about accepting or not accepting windfall money. Each character's way of dealing with the event has subtleties. The driver said: "The boy insulted me and beat me in front of this woman." The boy says to the employee: "You want to say something, but you want to put it in the mouth of others!"

A local man whose business is human trafficking mentions the Bam earthquake.The prisoner almost looks like a hero, rudely demanding the next share after taking his own. At one point, he says to the mysterious employee who asked for his name: "Are we going to see each other again?!" People's influence in life seems to be limited to their temporary benefit.



In Zarnegar's film, a comprehensive image is created of a time in which it seems that no one needs a name except for a couple in love. The girl's name is only mentioned during the farewell season. Therefore, it is a very accurate choice to not see their faces in the two-shot anymore. In times like these, it is natural that death does not require a cause. If death does demand a cause, then who is responsible, who answers, and who listens?

*          *          *

CAUSE OF DEATH: UNKNOWN
Ellat-e Marg: Na-m'aloum
Directed by Ali Zarnegar
Produced by Majid Barzegar
Iran, 2021
Drama
103

Synopsis

Seven passengers are on a sideway, traveling from Shahdad to Kerman, in the heart of Iranian deserts, before sunrise. After a short while, one of the passengers is found dead. Searching the dead body for an ID, they find a large amount of money hidden under his vest…