Bilgi :This movie was brilliant. one camera. one car. one women, ten passengers. nothing important can occur huh? dead wrong. this movie is thorough examination of our lives. to forestall criticism, yes it was shot on low budget digital, however, this is fairly irrelevant for the style of films kiarostami makes (for one he never wants to dazzle the viewer with the beauty of images, he uses images more like an antonioni does, to create visceral multitextured symbols, and second, in ten there are no long shots of nature at all).
This movie focuses in on the incredible psychological and interpersonal complexities of the daily life of one iranian woman. although it is in that sense a 'glimpse into iran', I believe the message of the movie is more universal, as this type of complexity exists everywhere. and again, while the woman is an incredibly strong female character in a society that does not treat women incredibly well (although much better than anything the taliban did), the movie is more universal than simply a political attack on iranian patriarchy. Here we have a camera that practically never moves, focused in on the people speaking to each other in a car, creating the quite real sense that one is trapped in the car with them unable to get away from their endless verbal confusions, miscommunications, attempts at control, manipulation, communication, bursts of anger, joy, exasperation, banality, calmness, and so on.
This is sartres no exit in a moving car. it is beckett in iran. however, (not to take anything away from either of the two), the language here is comletely natural, organic, and unforced. the central dialogue is between mom and son. The kid comes off as incredibly expressive and intelligent, forcefully and stubbornly articulating his philosophy of life not in abstract terms but in terms of the minutia of everyday existence as he tries to wring some freedom for himself from his mother. his mother, equally strong and stubborn, tries every trick known to man to keep this kid in line with what is in her own interests. what ostensibly is a normal conversation slowly devolves into a complex multilayered confusion that one may lose ones wits trying to keep up with. but this, if we are honest, is the stuff of all our lives. doubtless people will see this as a glimpse into iran. i hope for that reason they will not forget to apply the lessons to themselves, as privilidged glimpses notwithstanding, humanities intelligence, forcefull articulation, power-struggles and miscommunications in daily communion, should be fairly familiar to everyone.
A final note, while I have focused on the 2 mother-son dialogues, as these were the most interesting for me, there are indeed 8 other conversations(hence the title, 10.)Some may find the others more interesting. Finally, a note of warning. while many of the themes are lofty, kiarostami does not dwell in making lofty themes in lofty ways, he gets across lofty themes about how persons relate to eath other by analysis of the intricate interstices of, in this case, daily conversations. so if you're expecting lots of hollywood sound and fury, this may not be the film for you. however, if you're interested in family dynamics, power-struggles and confusions in the interpersonal realm, phenomenology, existentialism, postmodern critique of psychology, or just a non-academic interest in the complexities of human communication, then this movie is for you. but kiarostami does not shove it in your face. and this is what makes the movie truly great. the drama is there, but you have to become an integral part of the movie yourself to see the drama. kiarostami in a sense gives you a scene with natural drama without making it a 'dramatic scene'. He brings up lofty themes in that their are lofty themes in everyday conversation. but he does not tell you 'this is a lofty them, pay attention now', rather, he just shows you the everyday conversations, and leaves it up to the viewer to take out what he or she feels is important in it. I find this an intellectually and emotionally rewarding task to engage in in any kiarostami movie, but particularly this one.
