Iranian film week in Budapest December 1, 2008 Two War Films, "Cold Tears", 2004, and "Night Bus", 2007.
The war between Sadam Hussein's Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran lasted nearly a decade, from 1980 to 1988, and was treated as a kind of side-show in the western press, but it was the main event in that part of the world and has provided fodder for countless Iranian films ever since. Two of these were presented in the current survey. Dated 2004 and 2007 these films show that nearly 20 years down the line this war is still far from a forgotten issue, especially as Mr. Bush's war in Iraq is still going on right at Iran's front door.
"Tear of the Cold" (Ashke-Sarma) is a love story between an Iranian soldier and a beautiful Kurdish sheperdess set in 1983 against the background of a Persian military outpost in hostile Kurdish territory near the border with Iraq. The Kurds want independence from both Iran and Iraq and harass the Iranians by planting deadly land mines all around their encampment. The ravishing sheperdess, Ronak, tends her goats near the perimeter of the camp and serves as a decoy to cover the activities of the Kurdish militants.
A handsome young Iranian soldier, private Hayani, an expert in mine detection, arrives on the scene, but aside from his critical skills he is too friendly with the local Kurds refusing to treat all Kurdish civilians as potential enemies in defiance of the established Iranian military code. Before long he has gotten emotionally involved with Ronak the sheperdess on the perimeter of the camp,and she with him, although she is under orders to assassinate him. The climax of the film is reached when the amorous enemies are trapped in a cave for several days during a blinding snow storm, leaning on each other for survival while her growing feelings for the kindly soldier keep her from carrying out her mission.
When the storm lifts there is a big shootout after which soldier and sheperdess go their separate ways. In the spring, however, we are back to square one -- she tending her flock in sight of the camp, he on a mine detecting patrol. They spot each other and throwing all caution to the winds rush toward each other ecstatically, and -- of course -- both step on mines and get blown sky high.
This is a tense totally engrossing romantic tragedy brilliantly photographed and expressing more than a little sympathy for the plight of the stateless Kurdish populace straddling three borders in the region. Written and directed flawlessly by Azizollah Hamidnejad with a highly appealing hero and heroine, this was one of the more satisfying films of the week. The strikingly beautiful actress Golshifteh Farahani, who plays the sheperdess, Ronak, has been discovered by Hollywood and can currently be seen in a new Ridley Scott film, "Body of Lies", opposite Leonardo Dicaprio!
Golshifteh Farahani (Persian: گلشیفته فراهانی)
