Fasle Kargadan (Rhino Season, 2012)

One of the other films that I have seen at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi’s Fasle Kargadan (Rhino Season, 2012) that is presented by Martin Scorsese.  After the filmmaker was exiled by the Iranian government, he went to different countries but eventually start living in Istanbul where the film is set.

So many factors have made me go see this film: I love Iranian Cinema, I love Ghobadi, I love Yilmaz Erdogan, then of course there is the fact of Monica Bellucci. After hearing that all these names have come up together to make a film… I have wanted to see this film for months now.

The film is about a love story that sets through three decades, starts around the Iranian revolution. It is based on Ghobadi’s poet friend who was imprisoned during Islamic Revolution. Sahel (Behrouz Vossoughi) is thrown in to the prison for 30 years by personal revenge.  His wife Mina was also served in prison where she gets out after 10 years. She was told that Sahel has died so she moves to Istanbul. Once Sahel is freed he follows her.

Sahel is caught up in between his past and present, where he watches Mina from far away like a ghost. He is an outsider and is caught up in his memories.In his interview to Daily News Ghobadi says: “I had to leave Iran four years ago but I did not want to leave; the government pushed me out. I love Iran very much, so my soul is in jail now and this is worse than being in jail”. We see traces of Ghobadi in Sahel- both of their souls are in jail. This captivating feeling has got to me every now and then since I have been living away from Turkey.  

I really liked the film but once thing did not make sense to me at all. The daughter (Beren Saat) is a prostitute and tries to save money for her family. In no Turkish culture, as a matter of fact I think the same for Iranian culture, that the brother lets her sister to do something like this. This part really made me go like 'OK what the hell?!'. Because I really think that no Muslim culture will ever let that happen.

Behrouz Vossoughi and Arash Labaf are the only Iranian speaking actors in the film. We do not see much of Bellucci speaking Farsi but I have heard from my Iranian friends that overall there was no big accent difference. Since Yilmaz Erdogan is Kurdish as well, I assume he pulled of the accent whereas the rest of the crew spoke Turkish.

Bahman Ghobadi tells us this story of love and exile in a less likely political atmosphere. I think the tattoo that was made on Sahel's back describes it all: 

"Only the one living on border

Will create a land"