Review: Tehran Taboo

A unique, insightful, and confronting portrait of Iran’s largest city and capital.

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS BELOW)

“It’s about how institutions have an effect on individuals… [who] are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution to which they are committed.”

Although the above quote from David Simon is describing his acclaimed HBO series The Wire, I was constantly recalling it throughout Tehran Taboo. The version of Tehran depicted by director/co-writer Ali Soozandeh is shaped by institutions, from its rigid, specific laws, to conservative social values. It’s possible that a person could live a happy and fulfilling life under these conditions, but a far more likely outcome for many would be the feeling that something is missing. To get what you want, or be who you want, therefore, you can’t do everything the ‘right’ way. Each protagonist’s plot thread from Tehran Taboo should undeniably be commended for its engaging and gritty drama, yet the script (credited to Soozandeh and Grit Kienzlen) pleasantly surprises further by establishing the causal link between characters’ actions and the society that begat them. Building on this, the film subtly shifts focus from motivations to actions themselves; as David Simon clearly recognized years ago, how people react is often more interesting than what they’re reacting to.

For instance, Babak (Arash Marandi) is a talented musician, but audiences and industry officials are slow to accept his progressive style. Babak’s arc is catalysed by a one-night stand with Donya (Negar Mona Alizadeh) following the tepid reception to one of his performances: she’s engaged to be married in a week and needs him to ‘restore’ her virginity, or they will both be killed by her fiancé. We see multiple failed methods such as prosthetics or raising money for surgery, the latter including one effort that finds Babak detained by police. When the time finally arrives for him to pay for Donya’s operation he never shows up, having fled the country for an ostensibly better life. Babak’s story had seemed like the only one that could have a relatively happy ending (more on that below), and to subvert this with the message that people only think of themselves under duress is an emotional gut punch.

Simultaneously, prostitute Pari (Elmira Rafizadeh, voiced by Lilli Novi) and her pregnant neighbor Sara (Zahra Amir Ebrahimi) personify two contrasting responses to ongoing marginalization. Pari wants to divorce her imprisoned husband but cannot without his signature or the approval of an ayatollah, beginning an affair with Judge (Hasan Ali Mete) to gain the latter. While Soozandeh never romanticizes this arrangement, indeed, we are unambiguously shown its disturbing and violent elements, it is undeniable that Pari receives her own small benefits from it: in addition to an apartment and allowance, Judge uses his position to have Pari’s young son enrolled in school past the cut-off date. Her divorce will take a long time to be processed (if it ever is), but until then, Pari is making the best of dire circumstances. Meanwhile, Sara’s pregnancy is significant only for her husband and in-laws, who disapprove of her desire for a career over family. Shared pessimism forms a fast bond between Sara and Pari, although, the former chooses to try and alter her entire situation. The bleak climax to Sara’s story is the closest Tehran Taboo ever veers to melodrama, but I was ultimately impressed by the nuance on display across the two female perspectives.

This nuance extends to the film’s phenomenal rotoscoped animation, which allows the city of Tehran to take on a character of its own, as complex and unknowable as any of its 8 million inhabitants. Perhaps the greatest benefit of rotoscoping is having a live cinematographer, and Martin Gschlacht’s work here has inspired some of the best feature-length color and shading I’ve ever seen in this genre; the sprawling shine of day gives way to a mysterious, enticing haze at night. Coupled with the smooth movement of characters and objects, I can’t imagine Soozandeh (also listed as art director) employing a different medium or technique to make this film.

OUR TAKE

Rather than accurately replicating contemporary Iranian society, Tehran Taboo strives to illuminate Soozandeh’s impressions and memories of his homeland. The film realizes its ambition with astonishing clarity, as each poignant plot thread intertwines in both unexpected and logical ways to form a cohesive whole.

As demonstrated by Lebanon’s ban on Waltz with Bashir, probably the closest point of reference to Tehran Taboo in film history, it would surely be difficult to produce a film this raw and personal in the country that it depicts. We should be grateful that Soozandeh was able to share his experience without compromise, even in often overlooked details such as characters speaking exclusively in Farsi.

Tehran Taboo is a gorgeous rumination on how individuals cope with their place within institutions and a masterpiece of the mature animated film.

 

Score
10/10