rosajamali

Unlike many other Iranian award-winning movies favoured by the western festivals which explore either the rural life or illiteracy, tribal conflicts or poverty; Granaz Moussavi's "My Tehran for Sale" is a unique tale which reveals some secrets and mysteries behind the scene, hence it can be taken as a genuine and unswerving picture of this tumultuous, contradictory and hectic lifestyle in Tehran which portraits the conflict between traditions of the past and the principles imposed by families or authorities. Alienating the cliches of Iranian films, Granaz Moussavi takes the initiative to disclose the dark cryptic under-covered story. It eliminates the wrong illusion . The illusions usually made by other filmmakers, but what really exists here?!...Honestly speaking I have never seen Northern Tehran pictured by Western news agencies. Life in Northern Tehran is posh, expensive, trendy and full of contradictions. Girls and boys race cars, go underground nightclubs and wear flashy, heavy make- up and clothes. Compared to European standards people sound really loud here! The image is being shown and the Western camera has been accustomed to, no longer exists in most areas of Tehran! This courageous movie is opening a path to the reality behind the scene: Stealthily and sneakily crawling into underground nightclubs, young boys and girls go on dating, experience sex at a very early age, practice whatsoever's been heated and controversial in the west. The leading actress, Marzieh Vafamehr does quite an impressive job. Irreconcilable with her family traditions, challenging the guidelines dictated by the art and culture ministry, she has been drifted apart from the prevailing lifestyle. She practices performance art, sounds peculiar but been favourited by a group of avant-garde artists though unlicenced and questioned by drama administration in Iran. But the tragic life of asylum seekers is nothing new. Not a new story, this has been what Iranians made quite a reputation over,... The sudden rush of immigration, brain drain, the issues over political refugees has done enough harm to the society's growth. The film implies the current and contemporary Farsi spoken in the streets of Tehran mainly by the youth, a combination of slang and colloquial terms defying from the norms taught at schools or advertised on state TV or mass media. Some phrases and words coined and taken from high-tech equipment manuals or cyber terms used on the internet or a jargon jumbled by a salad of English and Persian as Iranian expatriates sometimes talk... Apart from the music, the soundtrack is a mixture of all possible sounds you might hear in Tehran including religious grieving sounds, the call for praying pronounced by mosques, continuous honking of the horns of cars, people shouting at one another, calling a taxi in the streets... The landscape shown for several times in the film is the view from the foothills of the Alborz, the mountainous region covering the North country, what you could see from the northern neighbourhoods if you turn back... Despite all these, the city looks vigorous, sparkling electric lamps, high-rise buildings, lengthy highways shows the contrast between modern and traditional life. The film is full of innovative moments, some frames are really gripping, the view of flowerpots overlooks from the top floor of a high-rise building paralleled at a time Marzieh feels quite devastated in love, a leaf dropping into the gutters while trekking in northern alleys of Tehran, the symbolic lantern which starts the film, street market with all its attractions and Marzieh's trekking on Tehran's night at the end. Acting's quite dynamic and dramatic, a good choice of the cast while Marzieh's low-pitched voice and pale complexion have interacted with Niloofar's vivacious laughter and sunny face. The story is told through a patchwork, dialogues follow a certain rhythm, the settings are in harmony with the language used through the film, costumes, acting , accessories are all employed with one accord.

Rosa Jamali