Movie Review- Shirin (Iran)

Warning: The movie is not conventional, entertainer or a time-pass. If you are of the school that a cinema has to have any of the above three element, then give this movie a skip. If you believe in a director who leads you to a magical world through his sheer genius, then go ahead. In short get ready to be bowled over!

‘Shirin’ is an Iranian movie directed by Abbas Kiarostami. The movie is a product of his thinking that audience should have more than a passive role in film making. The viewer should have as much as responsibility as the one behind the screen. It was my friend VR who had suggested the movie.

The movie is based on the epic Persian love story of Shirin and Khusroo. Shirin was the heiress of a kingdom, when she falls in love with emperor Khusroo.There is love failure and in comes a famous mathematician Farhan. The movie is basically the heart break, anguish and distress on separated lovers.

The magic of the movie, based on the much heard of love story, is we never get to see the visuals. We are shown a group of people in a theatre and we hear the visuals. We construct the movie from their faces.

I wouldn’t say the movie Is a experimentation that has succeded completely. Abbas has opened a magical door which leads to a garden with more fruits and flowers to pick from. ‘Shirin’ (the one which we do not see) is a mixture of narration and visuals. The theatre characters are a mixture of women of different ages and characteristics. There are proud women, shy women, intellectuals, young and dreamy ones. As the camera pans from one face to another we see a different dimension added. Thus we give flesh and blood to characters, do the set designs and cinematography. As simple as that.

I refrain from going into depth as I am no student of Cinema. But before I sign off- Mr. Abbas Kiarostami take a bow.