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Orca (2021)
Absolutely magnificent!!!
This beautifully shot and masterfully directed biopic revolves around real-life Iranian swimmer Elham Asghari and her struggles to set an unprecedented record of swimming kilometres in the sea, in a country where women are deprived of their most basic human rights and female athletes are obliged to follow the most ridiculously complicated regulations regarding their clothes and posture. Set in contemporary Iran, Elham is denied by the swimming federation of Iran to have broken an actual record when women are now allowed to do so, based on Islamic governing rules as it is referred to multiple times during the movie. Elham, therefore, embarks on a journey headed towards breaking a Guinness record and becoming the first Iranian to achieve such honour. While on this journey of hers, she comes across charitable ethnic characters in the south of Iran ( where she breaks her Guinness record ), allowing us to become familiar with their rich culture and heritage. It is, also, worth highlighting that Taraneh Alidoosti ( the star of academy-award-winning film The Salesman by Asghar Farhadi ) once again shines as the legendary actress she is, conveying Elham's struggles and emotions throughout the most dramatic scenes of the film.
Shatranj-e baad (1976)
Revolutions in a stylish aristocratic house
Mohammadreza Aslani has managed to create a story containing symbols for all major Iranian members of society during an unclear time in either Qajar or Pahlavi dynasty, including the wealthy aristocrats, the struggling community under the poverty line, the narcissistic religious community, the intellectual thinkers and men and women of a traditional belief system, all of whom live under the same roof in a stylish enormous house resembling both contemporary and ancient Peraian paintings, which forms a gothic tale of greed and murder, leading to symbolic foreshadowing of multiple revolutions that have and are bound to take place in Iran. Though such references might mostly be comprehended by an Iranian audience, its unique form of storytelling, in addition to its masterful use of light and colour, will undoubtedly capture the eyes of any audience. It is, also, worth highlighting that in Chess of the Wind, the most dazzling performances in the history of Iranian cinema are witnessed, particularly those of Fakhri Korvash as Khanoom Koochik and Shohreh Aghdashloo ( later nominated for an Academy Award for House of Sand and Fog ) as Kaniz whose dynamic is not to be missed.