RIFLE RANGE BOY

Ten (Persian; 2007) Director: Abbas Kiarostami No, this is not Bo Derek starred 1979 romantic comedy! It is an Iranian minimalist movie done by an Iranian filmmaker extraordinaire, Abbas Kiarostami. Due to a rather hostile environment in Iran, moviemakers have to resort to ingenious ways to film without creating much of public fanfare. It basically involves two cameras placed in the dashboard area; one pointed at the driver and another at the front passenger of a car. There are ten snippets involving the main character, a woman, and her interaction with her son, her sister,  an elderly lady, a prostitute and a friend. We overhear her conversation with the various characters. From their conversations, as they travel through the streets, we can make a composite picture of her life and the life of the ordinary people in Iran. The woman (the protagonist) picks up her son. Through their conversation, we realise that the woman has divorced her husband by falsely proclaiming that ...

Taste of Cherry (1997, Iranian) Director, Written, Produced: Abbas Kiarostami This may not be your typical movie that you may want to watch to unwind to retire from the stresses of life. It is a slow moving neorealist minimalist movie which is typical of many Iranian films. This time around, the whole movie is shot within and from the confines of a Range Rover. The scenery outside is no Garden of Eden but the drab landscape of a quarry. Apparently, this method had to be done as there were many restrictions in filming there in Iran. This movie has no beginning and no end. This is very much like our daily lives. We live a fraction of time only to experience a brief moment of the world, and we pass, only to have our places taken over by a new pair of recruit. The main character of the movie, Mr Bodii, is seen wandering around town in his SUV, looking for a pair of helping hand. He seems picky with the person he wants to hire. We are left wondering what type of support he is looking...