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DAYS IN TEHRAN (LES BEAUX LENDEMAINS DE TEHERAN) Rating:   Director: Reza Khatibi Producer: Jean-Marie Boulet Writers: Arielle Halfon, Anahita Mafi, Esfandiar Esfandi, Reza Khatibi Director of Photography: Boris Breckoff Cast: Reza Khatibi, Jean-Philipe Cheru, Sabrina Delarue, Esfandiar Esfandi Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew |
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Review by: Warren
Curry
6/29/02
7 Days In Tehran, a French produced film directed by Iranian born filmmaker Reza Khatibi, is able to accomplish a very difficult task: Pull an unmistakably human story from what appears to be a much broader framework. Many movies have been made about the making of a film, but it's the rare work that transcends the boundaries of what has come to be expected from this genre. Ostensibly about the rigors of a French documentary film crew on location in Iran, 7 Days In Tehran is able to gracefully balance cultural exploration with a touching story about the bonds of friendship.
Khatibi also stars in the movie as, essentially, himself. He plays the director of the film crew, who is returning home to Tehran for the first time in several years. The crew is in Tehran to produce a piece for French television about the changing nature of Iran since the election of Mohammad Khatami as president. Khatibi's character is interested in making a standard, promotional program to help dispel the country's negative image in France and is careful in deciding what events are appropriate to document. His philosophy runs counter to the host of the documentary, a French man named Franck (Goldmund Seiller), who is adamant about depicting a more honest, grittier reality.
Shortly after their arrival, Franck sets off to find a missing friend from college named Esfandiar (Esfandiar Esfandi). Franck is able to track him down quickly, and the two are thrilled to see each other, but something is noticeably wrong with Esfandiar. The man reveals to Franck that he is afflicted with cancer, but does his best to go on with his life undeterred. The crisis, in turn, only helps to strengthen the relationship between the two friends.
Khatibi, obviously working in familiar territory, does a fantastic job of illustrating Iran as a country we could never hope to fully understand from a movie or television. But as foreign as this land and culture may be to outsiders, he doesn't neglect to show the threads that connect together human beings from all walks of life. There's a great, joyous scene when the French crew play some local young men in an impromptu soccer game, which takes place in a neighborhood lot. The game attracts the attention of everyone on the block and turns from a competition into a celebration.
The friendship between Franck and Esfandiar is handled superbly. Khatibi doesn't exploit Esfandiar's illness, but uses it as an element to heighten the drama that enables the viewer to personalize the film. The final shot of the movie is almost poetic and couldn't frame the impetus of the film more perfectly.
The film's pacing is a bit peculiar, building
the set-up methodically, but then racing home to the conclusion
a bit too quickly. Khatibi, thankfully, doesn't over dramatize
the mounting tensions amongst the film crew and shifts the story's
attention nicely throughout the movie. It's a diverse work that
skillfully remains focused on its overall purpose.
7 Days In Tehran is a memorable, warm film from a director
I hope to hear much more from in the future.
(Screened at the 2002 Los Angeles Film Festival)
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