mhm_1371 Reviews

World War III (2022)

How can be a Hitler?

[9/10 · 18 April 2023]

World War III by Houman Seyedi.

Finally, and after roughly one-year anticipation I managed to watch the latest work of one of my favorite Iranian directors 'Houman Seyedi'.

It called 'World War III', but I would call it 'How can be a Hitler?' My expectation after watching 'Sheeple' the last work of Seyedi was so high and I must admit that now I'm Satisfied.

The Film Believably shows the gradual changes of 'Shakib'-starred by 'Mohsen Tanabandeh'- goes through. From a kind supportive man who does anything to delight her homeless deaf partner 'Ladan' he turns into a cruel, cold-heartted 'Hitler' who can even does a massacre.

The film warns audience again and again that being a nice person in a nice situation is 'Nothing'. And I've never felt It is a motto while watching the movie.

"Caution, Spoiler Ahead" I was really touched by a scene where Shakib And Ladan are sitting next to a fire and Ladan confesses that she told a lie to Shakib. Ladan says "At First I wanted that house but now you're the only thing I want.

And The ending sequence was breathtaking where you see Shakib in the outfit of Hitler sits behind the lunch table and watches his massacre.

Review by Hossein Aghaee.

The Salesman (2016)

Gradually

[9/10 · 5 September 2016]

Gradually (highly recommended to read these two plays before watching this movie 1.Cow by Gholam Hossein Saedi and 2.Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller) The salesman is really breathtaking and it has all the familiar factor of Farhadi's movies with a big difference that there is not any sign of those open ends anymore and you associate with the main character of movie more than any time. The story is about a young couple (Emad and Rana) who are performing at Arthur Miller's play Death of a salesman. They have to move to another apartment because their apartment is going to collapse. This moving cause a serious issue in their life because of the old tenant. In the beginning of the film when Emad_ with brilliant performance by Shahab Hosseini_ and his students was reading Saedi's play Cow, one of his student asked him "Sir,How does a man become cow?" Emad answered: "gradually". This question and Emad's answer are the main theme of this movie. Farhadi has used some part of the play Death of a Salesman in his movie masterfully and he has chosen Emad for the Willy's role in order to show and emphasize how Emad gradually got far away from his family or even his wife just like willy. The last twenty minutes of film are really breathtaking and the spectators associate with Emad more than anytime and I think they regularly ask themselves "if I were him, what would I do?" The salesman is a story about revenge or with accurate express is a story about the motivation of revenge. This story like another Fahadi's movies occurs in a family and effects family members. After A separation and now with the salesman Farhadi can be considered as a great master in directing suspenseful family drama like Hitchcock.

Life and a Day (2016)

Self-made eternal condemnation:

[7/10 · 27 March 2016]

I didn't like Life +1Day. It isn't a bad film, but it's a passive film. There's a sequence on the film that Somayeh asks from Morteza: "What is Life +1Day?" And Morteza responded her Life +1Day means eternal condemnation without any forgiveness. Also The film Characters have been sentenced to live in this kind of terrible and hopeless life. But the annoying thing is that they don't do any attempt to get out of this kind of living.

The story revolves around Somayeh, She's a kind and selfless girl. She accepted to married with a rich Afghan man (nazir) for his brother Morteza who want to open a new fast food Shop and begin a new life with her lover with the money receive from groom instead of this wedding. Another people in this house (read: life) look at this issue from different angles, and the similarity in their looking is passivity.

Azam left this house Because she wants to end her misery, but she continually returns to this house. But I don't understand why she doesn't help to solve the finance issue of his family even though she receives her husband blood money every month and goes to Dubai and Kish island for entertainment and wants to register for a new expensive car.

Mohsen clearly says he isn't able to leave his addiction and wants to sell more Methamphetamine for paying to Nazir and survive his sister from this unwilling arranged marriage.

Shahnaz think about the money that she wants to receive from a person who injured the face of her son, because she can rent a new house near this house (read: this life) by this blood money.Maybe she decided to come back home for the lack of her absent husband.

Leila already has determined their fate and she sees their future like Azam , Shanaz, or thousands girls that only reason of their marriage is fear of remaining without husband.

Also there is passive treatment in mother behavior. She hides some Methamphetamine to give to Mohsen for selling it and handle his expenses.

And Morteza is the most dangerous person. In another sequence on the film he said:" everyone who stay in this home is dog, and everyone go and come back is less than dog." But he doesn't try to leave this home and wants to send Somayeh to Afghanestan and Mohsen to camp, because he decides to start a new life in this home with his lover.

Even Somayeh is a passive person. When Navid asked her: "why do you want to leave us?" she said: 'I want to go because I think the fear of losing me make a reason to another family member to live such as ordinary people.'

And the last family member is Navid, genius fatherless boy. He seemingly sacrifices in these social and family problems. But I think he is the sacrifice of passivity.

By Hossein Aghaee.

American Sniper (2014)

American or Non-American

[7/10 · 15 July 2015]

American Sniper (2014)( Clint Eastwood) By Hossein Aghaee. American or Non-American

Finally last night I got a chance to watching the last film of the Mr Clint Eastwood. (One of the my popular director) For me that Gran Torino (one of the Eastwood's Movies) always being in my top ten choice when I make a list for best movies that I have seen so far watching American sniper was a great shock. In Gran Torino distance between nations or better to say human more than any time seems shorter and shorter as far as Eastwood as an impatient American man who has experience war in Korea savior or better say sacrifice him for non-American boy from the same geography (east Asia)but in American Sniper Bradley Cooper in the role of Chris Kyle in response of adviser question that asks whether Sometimes think about 160 men that were killed in Iraq, Says more than that, it pains him to why more people are not killed to protect the lives of American soldiers. Eastwood in the final scene of Gran Torino sending him as the old man of story to the conscious death without having weapons for that non-American boy of story could live more comfortable. But in one of the American sniper scenes Chris Kyle in response to the cries of his wife who desperately wants him to stay with his American family rejected her request and perhaps killing Mustafa in his mind. It's time to put aside their weapons and ending unnecessary crisis in the world.

Hossein Aghaee July 1394

The Past (2013)

Past Or future

[8/10 · 8 July 2013]

The past / Le passé / Asghar Farhadi, 2013. Past Or future by Hossein Aghaee. Caught "The past" Asghar Farhadi's latest work last night in Isfahan" Farhadi's hometown" I gave ten star to the past like A separation but i confess that i like A separation more than this movie. The film was a masterpiece of Asghar Farhadi just like other film from this director. I hadn't been swept off my feet for a while, and The final sequence of the film had me amazing where name of Bérénice Bejo And Ali Mosaffa was appear in Céline and Samir hands masterfully. I will be shocked if this movie doesn't win an academy award and I hope heard the name Of Iran and Asghar Farhadi when the pocket will be open in this ceremony. This film start little late but when Ahmad and Lucie meet together for second time Farhadi enters first shock to the viewer. From this moments we can see specific signature of Farhadi's drama in this movie. Farhadi never talk about his movies explicitly but I guess purpose of The Past sending an alarm to the selfish man who's always run from his past or in other words its past decisions. This past decisions is impact in our life and the others that we like them to much and Farhadi says "Be careful of Bad effect" maybe for this Marie never let to Ahmad to explain the reason for departure because She believe That decisions is the starting point for adventures that occurred four years later.Similarly, we can determine to the relationship between Marie and Samir or decision of Lucie or Naïma's decision and Or even the Céline's decision.