Crimson Gold
Screening: 6 December 2004
Iran 2003
Directed by Jafar Panahi
Leading players ~ Hossain Emadeddin, Pourang Nakhael, Kamyar Sheisi.
96 minutes (subtitles).
Synopsis
A sad but thoughtful movie about a bungled heist, which has as its protagonist, a Tehran pizza delivery rider, Hussein. The film starts at the end, but then loops back to a point in the recent past from which it moves forward showing us how Hussein has been driven to this final tragic moment, and allowing us to learn a little about this unhappy man. Suffering various social slights and setbacks, and still receiving treatment for some unnamed condition contracted while in the army, Hussein is increasingly made aware of the split in Iranian society between the rich and poor. This imbalance causes deep feelings of resentment and humiliation to grow within Hussein, eventually pushing him over the edge.* * * * * *
We are given tantalising images of the repressive regime in Teheran and viewers ignorant of Iran will learn much of current life there, which is not entirely how one would expect it to be under a totalitarian regime.
