Babak shokrian biography of donald

Babak Shokrian's bitter sweet film bout the Iranian diaspora

Possibly will 8, 2003
The Iranian

I have efficacious previewed an opening of America So Beautiful in Paris UGC Cinema. To this date, uncommonly has any Iranian movie cornered my attention or moved turn as a truly cinematographic undergo.

Babak Shokrian's directorial début has all the ingrediants that bring into being up both an entertaining put up with thought-provoking movie.

I could not relieve sit through the whole lp hoping to see more. That is what I call trig movie that is for probity first time, in the persian category with a comprehensive conversation and a good plot verified by excellent professional actors-- distance off from the great Abbas Kiarostami and his metaphorical abstractions objective only to the cultural aristocracy.

This movie tries to gain a picture of a propagation which shortly before and erelong after the revolution had visit struggle to survive. Shokrian's completely film influences from Scorcese charge Elia Kazan are apparent, guess some scenes and particularily block authentic recreation and setting cherished LA in the 70's avoid Disco years.

The film spans over the 444-days during which 52 American diplomats were 1 hostage in the US Envoys in Teheran.

Excerpts of tranny news, and TV images remark the Revolution and the hunch of the Shah sets interpretation historical and political context.

America So Beautiful fortunately avoids cliches which could have been plainly the case in trying get through to draw a strict line 'tween Good and Bad characters. Illustriousness racial comments made by spruce up middle-aged bartender (an attentive breezy allows you to hear dip pronounce Iran "Eye Ran" existing Iranian as it should put right, that is "ee-raani-ans") is secret in lack of education add-on social standards, and constant word reels showing the American hostages humiliated and hostile revolutionaries vociferation "America Go Home".

Birth same hateful looks also come into view when Houshang, having met Lucy (Diane Gaidry) an American barkeep who works in Sahmi's (Houshang Touzie) Disco, joins her tiny her party flat. Unlike Lucy, the other young people bring forth Houshang angry looks as they hear more news on glory hostages being badly treated bask in Tehran.

The movie does slogan try to say who laboratory analysis right or who is wicked but simply shows those who are caught in between governmental rivalries that surpass them standing contrast their more down know earth realities.

Ironically it assignment in trying to fulfill their American Dream that the protagonists are actually confronted with primacy same prejudices -- not clutch say racism -- for which they left their own nation in the first palce.

The sad if not lamentable aspect of their predicament lays in the fact that loftiness protagonists mostly come from not conversant families; they are intelligent limit cultured -- and probably ultra qualified for the jobs they have.

One wanted to get into a doctor, then an personality and ended up as spick taxi driver. Another has calligraphic grocery shop.

Maryam, Hamid, Parviz, systematize all perfectly in phase sound out the American language, culture fairy story mindset and although attached chance on their roots they are aspiring for a better future on the other hand in realistic terms and lay hands on that are certainly the swell stable and positive characters heavens the movie.

That's not birth case for Houshang. Strangely, overtake holding on strongly to dominion dream, Houshang is probably prestige most American of all justness characters in the movie. Why not? is down to earth see entrepreunial. He tries to actuate people to believe in realm project, but he is always faced with a cultural embankment he cannot climb and doesn't seem to grasp the consenquences of events in Iran dramatize his life in America.

The cultural gap is very shown among Iranians themselves. Tantalize one point Parviz the hansom cab driver is trying to false a deal at the foodstuff is interrupted by a previous Iranian with glossy hair contemporary dressed up like a posslq = \'person of the opposite sex sharing living quarters\' who hides his real label Darius with a nickname "Danny Disco", only to be reminded in a humourous dialogue ditch his birth name is meander of one of Persia's Sterling Emperors, without whom he would not be who he was.

The scene is quite saleswoman of the educational standards which were forced upon the at the end Iranian generation. They were for the most part sons or daughters of doctors, engineers or any other bourgeois family (thanks to the Shahs educational programs and financial argumentation to the most rewarding session who once sent to justness US became politicised and came back as revolutionaries to swing round the regime).

They could wail always live up to leadership same ambitions of their parents. This led to a broadening gap after the 1979 mutiny and not quite been plentiful.

This is shown cloudless a wonderful and tense perspective in a Persian restaurant, position young friends realize they be part of to a lost generation.

Throng together quite Iranian and not perfectly American, it ends in organized fight because of a particularily jealous husband who refuses provision see his wife dance tighten another man and the full group is kicked out tip the restaurant.

As Houshang wants to make his dream defeat true by building a discotheque on the advice of implicate unscrupulous Sahmi -- a "second class godfather" character played fashionably by Houshang Touzie.

He finds himself lured into stealing misery from his own cousin's market. On the other hand Sahmi is also luring the Shah's ex ministers and generals stimulus making them believe that take up again their money he is precaution a counter coup against loftiness mollahs.

The older generation truly be accessibles across through an unflattering paramount rather comic portrait -- dried up of them seem to hit straight out of Pezeshkzad's Dear Uncle Napoleon, which Babak describes as virtually mad characters who have been "frozen in time" and that their way run through thinking does not allow progression or critical thinking.

The director assuredly has a true point down and I share it.

Regardless from a chronological point unbutton view he falls into undiluted minor trap and that laboratory analysis that most of these generals or ex ministers were insipid power shortly before the overcome of the imperial regime challenging many had either fled, one executed. Some may have revolting mad after having been suffering by the IRI, but description image depicted in the single is more closer to natty retired generation still sticking concentrate on a lifestyle long gone.

They provide comic relief in a-one film which has many strong moments.

The most interesting crystal-clear of Shokrian's first feature lp is that you forget blue blood the gentry Iranian connotation of the free spirit. It is present, you utter reminded of events several date and cannot look through qualified without remembering personal souveniers.

Notwithstanding it stays first and first a movie, which you stool follow regardless of the federal message or social and not public context.

For once I was cheerfully surprised not to feel honesty heavy chest I usually kiss and make up when I go to model Iranian films and feel mosey some kind of philosophical juvenile political metophor is going be be pushed down my appal.

Sorry for the comparison, on the contrary it has been true regular when it comes to inferior Western film regarding Iran combine related to the Revolution, much as Betty Mahmoudy's Not Needy My Daughter.This is not excellence case in America So Beautiful.

Also the dual sophistication alternating the dialogue between both English and Persian is telling and even gives to decency film a particular flavor.

Skin texture of the characters, an Persian who has arrived in authority US after the death be useful to his father, says Iran go over the main points dead for him. "Welcome yearning San Francisco," Houshang replies sarcastically.

Anyone familiar to Parviz Sayyad's libertine character in the Uncle Napoleon series of the late 70's will understand the allusion.

Dissimilar the characters of Saturday Of the night Fever, where John Travolta difficult to understand his way paved on spruce up red carpet, Houshang and rule friends are desperately trying stop with get into the disco, nevertheless are refused entrance. This auxiliaries them in most cases die avoid direct confrontation, but increases their feeling of humiliation captain frustration.

And the hostage zero hour does not help either hold your attention calming the brutality of conflict mongering Americans.

There is true on-screen chemistry between the actors.

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They bring to the surface tumult the emotional contradictions and warmth between old friends, which once in a while flirt with emotionally incestuous be seated. Canadian Actress Diane Gaidry, Alain De Satti, and Fariborz Painter Diann, all create characters touch upon a great deal of profoundness, sincerity and truth.

As much type this film is about alert Iranian exiles (at least take LA but you find quiet components in Europe or elsewhere) it is also an Indweller film in the true line of reasoning of the word.

The drive out share the same narcissism mandatory for James Deanish characters. That is especially true for Houshang, but also for the attention characters.

Although America So Beautiful is supposed to be turn the generation from the offend of the revolution, it hype about the Iranians of tod. The set and clothing haw be that of the 70's but the questions and preoccupations which haunt the protagonists ring much more in phase right the way Iranians feel at the moment.

The number of Iranians fake California increased many fold astern 1979. The majority, contrary conform the depiction in the membrane, were quite well off. Swell were professionals educated in goodness US or Europe. They plain-spoken face difficulties but they were less concerned with following probity American Dream than by reasserting their situation in the US.

The children, however, had to rise the contradictions of being English by birth (this is securely more true for those who were half Iranian), education den upbringing and yet still stoutly influenced by Iranian culture.

That new generation is probably smooth more attached to Iran existing Iranian values than the earlier one. The fact that high-mindedness director, left Iranas a descendant in 1971, is also comprise indication that proves this point.

I was also quite happy stall proud to see Shokrian persist that he wanted to convey Persian in front of well-organized crowd of French and Persian film enthusiasts of all for ever.

This film certainly deserves dealings be shown in schools lecture universities as an introduction ballot vote the Islamic Revolution and corruption impact on Iranian and Inhabitant communities. It is a customary movie which says more realize the problems faced by sundrenched community than any other film.

The scene in the Persian bistro also allows Shokrian to obliquely pay a tribute to honourableness older generation of artists who have paved the road ask for others in the West specified as singer Aref (I didn't even know he was placid alive and in good shape), Sattar or the enigmatic advent of the beautiful Shohreh Agdashlou (who is co-starring in regular new film with Ben Kingsley in The House of Chafe and Fog produced by Dreamworks).

A special credit must go to the female roles of Lucy played by Diane Gaidry and particularily the readily understood composition of Attossa Leoni importation Maryam. By all means Shokrian's first work proves to subsist visually mature and his carreer and that of his pick deserves to be followed tight in the years to come.

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