SF FILM FESTIVAL TUESDAY APRIL 16: TEHRAN: CITY OF LOVE

I walked into this film oblivious of what life would be like in present-day Iran, especially in the big city of Tehran. It was a film that interwove three different lives of people looking for love and succeeding, then losing it.

The tribute to the city was beautiful with modern cafes and restaurants. The locations he picked were lovely - as if you were in any other major large city in the world. Except for the fact that men and women are separated in most public areas like the mosque or different gyms.  The protagonists were all about my age and had good jobs in the city and nice apartments. They went out for dinner or cafes with friends. It was interesting to get a vignette of life on the other side of the world. The director said he was influenced by Jim Jarmusch - which makes a lot of sense. The cinematography was excellent in getting nice close-up and symmetrically framed shots.

The director was a little insulted when someone asked how he was able to get a visa to come here from Iran. He bristled and said that he wouldn't have been able to come except he had a passport from a different country. That was also a theme in the movie. A lot of people were applying for visas to leave Iran and move to Australia for example. He said that is common.

Description
Three Tehran residents, unlucky in love, make attempts to change their solo status in this wistful and poignant film. A bodybuilder, a funeral singer, and a woman who works in a beauty clinic – each character finds that the pursuit of their respective dreams puts them in sight of a real emotional connection, yet something intervenes. By examining the circumstances that derail his protagonists within the larger context that Tehran’s title implies, writer/director Jaberansari provides a pointed take on contemporary Iranian society.

“A revolution, an ensuing eight-year war, a theocratic government, the harsh divide between the private and the public and religious rules and customs have all made social realism the cornerstone of popular contemporary Iranian films in recent years, especially those that have been internationally successful.

“While socio-political issues remain at the heart of the Iranian way of life, I am fortunate enough to hold a slightly different perspective. Having lived outside of Iran for a number of years while still maintaining strong ties to my country, has afforded me the liberty to retain a certain amount of distance from the harsh realities of life in Iran. This in turn has enabled me to have a darkly humorous point of view that runs at the core of this film and dictates my style as a filmmaker.

“Lonely and disenchanted, the characters in my film are estranged from themselves and the society at large. Failing in their attempts to find meaningful relationships and truly connect to those around them, they face rejections they are not equipped to handle and are forced to find ways to persevere in a city that does not embrace them. While their predicaments may serve as the perfect context for a gritty social drama, I wanted to convey the hilarity and absurdity of their respective situations while still allowing the audience to identify with them.

“My goal in making this film was to tell an emotionally engaging story, however minimal and absurdist, with a different slant on the modern Iranian society.” – Ali Jaberansari, Director’s Statement

Click here for official trailer of the movie

Click for another trailer a little bit longer.
Guests Expected
Director Ali Jaberansari is expected to attend all screenings.

Director
Ali Jaberansari
Ali Jaberansari began his career making short films, including Aman (2011), which won awards at the Angers European First Film Festival and the Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival. His debut feature, Falling Leaves (2013), won the Federico Fellini Award at the Tiburon International Film Festival. He also served as an assistant director on Babak Jalali’s Bay Area-set Radio Dreams (Festival 2016).