Talaye Sorkh/Crimson Gold (2003) | dir. Jafar Panahi | 93 min | Iran

Many Iranian films I’ve seen have a muted sense of humor about life. The spirit of The Bicycle Thief (Vittorio De Sica) is embedded in many of these neorealist-style films, where children look for lost items and old men contemplate the absurdity of stagnant existence. Talaye Sorkh (Crimson Gold, 2003) threw me for a curveball. First off, it begins where it ends, with a petty thief, Hussein, attempting to rob a jewelry store, getting trapped, and killing the store owner in panic before killing himself. Then we flash back to the days leading up to this tragedy, following Hussein and his buddy through Tehran as they struggle through work as nighttime pizza delivery men. Hussein wants to buy his fiancee the necklace he feels she deserves, but the bourgeois motherfucker at the jewelry store brushes him off while kissing his more affluent clientele’s asses. Hussein’s frustrations are palpable. The masterfully uninterrupted camera movements capturing his nervous energy hidden beneath his calm demeanor.

It was the perfect film to watch after rocking a show last month, with Sabzi assisting in translating to overcome the poorly translated subtitles. Having previously only been familiar with Abbas Kiarostami and a few other recent directors, I think I’m digging Jafar Panahi’s more direct approach to realism. His films don’t seek to transcend societal absurdities, but confront them. Makes sense, as I later found out that director Panahi had recently been detained and prevented from traveling outside of Iran, just months after having been arrested for participating in the post-election protests earlier this year. Reminds me of the late Filipino director Lino Brocka, whose commentary did not end with his films, but began with them.