Subdued (2017)
Story of a woman going through a nervous breakdown

(iran.ca)


Nematollah’s smart direction, the stunning cinematography by Farshad Mohammadi and Hatami’s electric performance have all won raves for a film that has become one of the biggest box office and critical hits of the year in Iran.

"I was fascinated by the story of a journey from loss and defeat to complete collapse and destruction and back to a rediscovery of the self. This film deals with such a journey."

Mina is recently divorced from her drug addict husband. With her mother deceased and estranged from her father, she leads an independent life. After finding a job in a restaurant she strikes up a friendship with its attentive manager. She starts having feelings she has never before experienced. These feelings, eventually shared, are shaken when the manager begins to distance himself from her. Thus commences a tumultuous emotional journey.



Hamid Nematollah burst onto the scene with Boutique, a revelation that drew strong performances from two of Iranian cinema’s young and upcoming stars at the time: Mohamadreza Golzar and Golshifteh Farahani, and showed a penchant for emotionally raw portrayals of romantic relationships.

His fourth film, Subdued, is a richer film in the same forte, with a sensational performance from international superstar Leila Hatami. Tapping into the history of Iranian romantic melodrama, Subdued tells the story of Mina (Hatami), a recent divorcee who falls for Kamran (Tahami), but unforeseen circumstances befall this unconsummated love.

Nematollah’s smart direction, the stunning cinematography by Farshad Mohammadi and Hatami’s electric performance have all won raves for a film that has become one of the biggest box office and critical hits of the year in Iran. (iran.ca)

CAST

*  Leila Hatami…(Mina)
*  Kourosh Tahami…(Kamran)
*  Elham Korda…(Ayla)
*  Leila Mousavi…(Mrs. Mansour)

CREW

Director: Hamid Nematollah
Screenplay: Masoumeh Bayat
Director of Photography: Farshad Mohammadi
Editing: Mehdi Sadi
Music: Sohrab Poornazeri
Sound Recorder: Babak Ardalan
Sound Mixer: Bahman Ardalan
Set Designer: Mohammad-Reza Mirzamohammadi
Costume Designer: Azadeh Ghavam
Make-Up: Sahand Torabi

Producer: Hamid Nematollah
Production Company: Hamid Nematollah Production

Shooting format: Digital
Camera: Alexa
Lenses: Zeiss Master Prime

Screening format: DCP
Sound: 5:1
Ratio: 1:1.85
Original version: Persian
Subtitled in: English
Running time: 104 min
Year: 2017

Fiction – Colour – Iran.

Synopsis

Mina is recently divorced from her drug addict husband. With her mother deceased and estranged from her father, she leads an independent life. After finding a job in a restaurant she strikes up a friendship with its attentive manager. She starts having feelings she has never before experienced. These feelings, eventually shared, are shaken when the manager begins to distance himself from her. Thus commences a tumultuous emotional journey.

Director’s statement

I was fascinated by the story of a journey from loss and defeat to complete collapse and destruction and back to a rediscovery of the self. This film deals with such a journey.

Festivals

*-7th Iranian Film Festival Australia, MELBOURNE, BRISBANE, SYDNEY, ADELAIDE, PERTH, CANBERRA. October 26 – November 17, 2017. « Competition » section
*-16th Dhaka International Film Festival, Bangladesh. January 12-20, 2018. « Cinema of the World » section
*-First Jounieh International Film Festival, Lebanon. January 17-22, 2018. « Competition » section