THE WHITE BALLOON
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
Iran, 1995 U.S. Release Date: beginning 1/96 (limited) Running Length: 1:25 MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (nothing offensive) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Aida Mohammadkhani, Moshen Kalifi, Fereshteh Sadr Orfani, Anna Bourkowska, Mohammad Shahani Director: Jafar Panahi Screenplay: Abbas Kiarostami Cinematography: Farzad Jowdat U.S. Distributor: October Films In Farsi with subtitles
Iranian films are not big in the United States. After just a few months of limited release, THE WHITE BALLOON has already made more money in this country than any previous Iranian picture, including last year's THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES, which was made by international film icon Abbas Kiarostami and distributed by Miramax. THE WHITE BALLOON, written by Kiarostami and directed by one of his proteges, Jafar Panahi, has the characteristic slow, stately tone that dominates Iranian efforts, but, at least in terms of its minimalist narrative, it's reminiscent of Vittorio De Sica's Italian classic, THE BICYCLE THIEF.
THE WHITE BALLOON is told in real time through the eyes of its seven year old, female protagonist, the feisty Razieh (Aida Mohammadkhani). Our impressions of other characters are filtered through Razieh, so we see them as she does, whether they're strange, frightening, indifferent, or helpful. All the facets of humanity are represented, from a generous-but-ineffectual old woman to a sinister soldier who tells lies to gain the young girl's confidence.
It's New Year's Day in Tehran, and, in ninety minutes, all the shops will close for a week-long holiday. Before that happens, Razieh desperately wants to buy a plump, white goldfish with elaborate fins. She has her heart set on this prize and refuses to give up even when her mother says "no." So, with the help of her brother (Moshen Kalifi), she eventually wears down all resistance, and, armed with her mother's last 500 tomans bill, heads into the marketplace on her own. Between home and the fish store, however, she loses the money down a street grate, where the metal bars keep it within sight, but out of reach.
Like THE BICYCLE THIEF, THE WHITE BALLOON proves that movies don't have to be plot-heavy to succeed. This film is strangely compelling even though nothing much happens, and that's primarily because Razieh is such an endearing character. Portrayed in a perfectly-nuanced, unaffected manner by Aida Mohammadkhani, Razieh is one of the most impressive screen children since the protagonist of CROWS. Mohammadkhani, with only a little help from her supporting actors, makes this picture.
In addition to its account of a girl's fist venture into the adult world on her own, THE WHITE BALLOON gives Western viewers a rare glimpse into the real Iran. Here, freed of political shading, we meet the genuine inhabitants of Tehran, and, unsurprisingly, find that they're not all that different from us. THE WHITE BALLOON certainly isn't everyone's kind of film, but those with the patience to sit through all eighty-five minutes will uncover a sublime, unconventionally engrossing story.
A controversy that has nothing to do with the film's content has metamorphosed around THE WHITE BALLOON. Following a U.S. congressional bill funding covert action against the current government of Iran, that country attempted to withdraw the film from contention for a best foreign film Oscar nomination. Subsequently, when THE WHITE BALLOON began its limited U.S. run, Iran denied the director, Jafar Panahi, permission to leave the country to participate in a publicity tour. Nevertheless, even though Panahi has been forbidden to travel to the United States, he is well represented by his first feature, which speaks as eloquently as anything he would likely say.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net web: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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