teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU (Thomas E. Billings) (12/04/90)
WATER, WIND, DUST
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1990 Thomas E. Billings
Synopsis:
A young teenager returns home after an absence to find his village in
Iran deserted because of an incredibly severe drought. He begins a
search to find his family, traveling through an amazingly bleak and
desolate landscape. Primarily an essay on the issue of humans vs.
nature, the film is of interest for technical and cultural reasons.
Iran (English subtitles), color, 1985 (released 1989), 75 minutes.
Director/Writer: Amir Naderi
How would you like to spend an hour or so in a fierce sandstorm, in
a dried-out lake, in the bleak, desolate landscape of the desert at the
border between Iran and Afghanistan? That's pretty much what this movie
is.
A young man, in his early teens, returns to his village after a two
year absence, to rejoin his family. He was away working and earning
money. When he reaches his home village, he finds it deserted except
for one man. He tells the teenager that everyone has left, to escape
the drought. The young man then begins a search, over a bleak, ravaged
landscape, to try to find his family among the groups of wandering
refugees.
As his search progresses, he meets other people and has some
unusual experiences. However, the primary focus, in story and
(stunning) photography, is on the extreme struggle required to survive
in the drought-ravaged area. In the area, water=life, and the teenager
must also find it to survive.
The film is worthwhile for its excellent photography of an
unbelievably bleak, harsh landscape, and for the view it provides into
another culture. As a visual essay on the subject of humans vs.
nature, it is very good. However, many viewers will likely find it
boring, for it has a slow pace and there is little action or special
effects. Some viewers may be offended by one scene that shows dogs
tearing apart the carcass of a dead cow.
Although I would not recommend the film to a general audience, the
film may appeal to people interested in the region, its culture, and the
topic of humans vs. nature.
Distribution. Part of a film series, "Iranian Film Now", coordinated by
The Film Center, Chicago on behalf of the Farabi Cinema Foundation.
Screened at the Pacific Film Archive, University of California,
Berkeley. This film may be available on video, if you can find a source
for Iranian videos.
Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU