IFFK – Day 3 – Afternoon

The film Half Moon (an Iranian film directed by Barhman Ghorbadi) is not about Saddam Hussein or post-war Iraq. It is about a roller coaster journey a musician, Mamo, and his “sons” make in their attempt to participate in a concert in Iraqi Kurdistan. The concert is going to be held to celebrate the freedom from oppression that Kurdistan music faced during Saddam’s regime. There are several hurdles. The musician himself is a very old man. They have to overcome many difficulties including some reluctant team members, rough weather and security guards. They reach a village where 1334 woman singers who have been exiled to. They smuggle their lead female singer from the village. But eventually the security personnel catch them. In the process they lose their musical instruments. Some members ran away from the journey also.

But they cleverly bribe the security personnel to bring back the singer. But the singer herself is struggling with confidence crisis. Soon she runs away from the troupe. Then they go to the village of another famous musician to get musical instruments and a singer, only to find out that the musician died immediately after they contacted him. Later the number of people in the band is reduced to five. They get a female singer, but they lost the vehicle and odds are really against them. Will they make it? (It is not clearly shown in the movie whether they make it or not. But I would like to interpret as they haven’t, which indicates the present state of Iraqi affairs.)

The film is really very fun to watch. The journey is conceptualized with imagination and comedy. Other notable aspects are good photography and music, the features by now one comes to expect from Iranian films. In short, a highly enjoyable meaningful movie.

The most widely anticipated film of IFFK 2008, Breath (directed by, who else, Kim Ki Duk) is going to be screened in Kalabhavan Theatre today evening at 6.45. The whole seats of online balcony reservation were plucked out by technologically advanced delegates by yesterday morning itself. So, some of the Kim Ki Duk fidayen, who haven’t been able to reserve via internet, are planning about going to the 3.30 show in Kalabhavan, and staying there for the prize catch. All the best for them. But I am not going to check into Kalabhavan for bread and breakfast. I am going to watch another classic, Ashes and Diamonds by Andrej Wajda.

You can read insightful reviews and reports about IFFK in dearcinema website also.