Work in Progress (No, really)

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Here without me ( اینجا بدونِ من)

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"Here without me" is a film directed by Bahram Tavakoli. The story itself is based on The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, although it is a loose adaption.



The film depicts the life of a family as they battle financial problems (mainly fighting to stay afloat) and family problems. The eldest child is stuck at a dead end job and wishes to nothing more than to leave it and pursue a career writing scripts for film, while the younger daughter is lame and as a result has secluded herself to the confides of her house and room. What contact she has with the outside world is limited. She goes to the doctor and to a shop, but lacks the socialization skills and self-esteem to put do anything else. The final character is the mother, who struggles to keep the family from fracturing and also works to keep it financially afloat.

The best thing about the film is the mood. It easily shifts from being sad to being funny. Never does this transition look forced or unnatural. The mother, played by Fatemah Motamed-Aria, absolutely steals the show with her performance. None of the actors are bad, but she's a cut above the rest. The son too, Ehsan, played by Saber Abbar is a very complex and interesting character. He seemingly wants what's best for his sister but at the same time doesn't want to give up his own dream.


The cinematography is good (as always). There's also is a fair amount of emphasis on colours and light/darkness contrast.

At its heart, this film has a Chinese box structure. Which one is the overarching story and which one is the a thought of a character? I guess everyone has their own views on that. In my interpretation, Ayn Rand wouldn't be too happy. But she sucks anyways.

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