This thoughtful film about an ordinary Iranian family affords
an authentic insight into a nation of people who are all too often
hidden by headlines, war and tyranny.
The film focuses on a Kurdish family living near the Iran-Iraq
border. Three young people - Ayoub (Ayoub Ahmadi) and his two
sisters - need to raise money to fund an operation to help their
crippled brother, Madi (Mehdi Ekhtiar-Dini). One sister elects
to marry in return for medical assistance while Ayoub chooses
the perilous option of becoming a smuggler. But the plot largely
takes a backseat to the striking cinematography, perceptive characterisation
and overwhelming sense of otherness regarding this resilient society.
Aside from writing the screenplay and producing A Time for Drunken
Horses, Bahman Ghobadi made his debut as a feature director on
the piece, worked as the art director and set part of the action
in his home village. This then, is Ghobadi's vision, literally
and figuratively. He described it as "a humble tribute to
my heritage", but one suspects he created the film for additional
reasons, not least to show the world the truth regarding the everyday
hardships his people face. It's a sign of how completely he achieved
this aim that it won the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival
and a clutch of other awards around the world.
This is an honest, dramatic and at times brutal film about a
harsh but loving culture, set against terrain so inhospitable
that the smugglers' horses must be inebriated before they can
cover ground. For those whom Iran is synonymous with never ending
news items this is a fascinating and intensely moving revelation.
Gavin Collinson
Director Bahman Ghobadi is also an actor and played one
of the leads in the recent BBC Four film, Blackboards
