Author: Narges Samadi

François Truffaut’s The Soft Skin (1964) at first glance seems to tell a story of infidelity, yet it is, in truth, an exquisite study of form, time, and the act of seeing. Unlike the vibrant energy of the French New Wave, Truffaut turns here toward silence, order, and the details of modern life. Having conducted his long conversation with Hitchcock the year before, Truffaut pays homage to his mentor through every shot of this film. Camera movements, MacGuffins, motifs, and meticulously composed frames distance him from his earlier work, Truffaut slowly steps away from the New Wave toward a cinema…

Paul Anderson’s latest film makes it clear from the very first moment that it has no intention of belonging to the Hollywood mainstream. By tackling themes such as structural racism, political violence, and gendered exploitation, the film situates itself within the tradition that critics and theorists have described as Third Cinema, a mode of filmmaking defined in the 1960s and 1970s by figures like Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino, aimed not at consumer entertainment but at exposing mechanisms of power and mobilizing critical consciousness. With unflinching boldness, the film confronts these dark mechanisms, most strikingly in the harrowing scene of…

At first glance, Cause of Death: Unknown by Ali Zarnegar، seems to tell a straightforward story: seven passengers caught in the stillness of a night journey. Yet beneath this simple surface lies a powerful and unsettling exploration of social prejudice and the machinery of “othering.” When the passengers swiftly assume that the unidentified corpse belongs to an Afghan, the assumption is not a casual remark—it becomes the mechanism by which they establish a sense of superiority and even justify taking the victim’s possessions. The implication is stark: because the body belongs to a migrant “other,” his life and belongings carry…

Sirât, the latest work by Oliver Laxe, presents a bifurcated narrative full of ruptures in meaning—a film that begins in realism but gradually shifts toward the surreal and allegorical. The first half is crafted in an observational, realist style: a simple father and his son wander through the desert in search of the missing daughter. The strong visual composition, authentic environmental details, and slow rhythm all contribute to an immersive sense of reality. However, from the very outset, the film signals its intention to deviate from a strictly linear, realist narrative. A bizarre desert gathering—a rave pulsating with electronic music…

TWO PIANOS, Directed by Arnaud Desplechin. Cast: Nadia Tereszkiewicz (Claude), Louis Garrel, Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Devos, Charlotte Rampling (Elena, the master pianist) Two Pianos, the latest work by Arnaud Desplechin, is a romantic and melancholic drama, an exploration of suspended and wounded loves that never find peace. The story follows Claude (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) and her secret relationships with two close friends, Mathieu and Pierre. Unable to choose between them, Claude entangles both, and over time all three become victims of a passion that begins with intensity but gradually dissolves into jealousy, betrayal, and loss. Around this central triangle, Desplechin weaves…

“It Was Just an Accident,” Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner at Cannes 2025, delivers a masterful ending that will surely be remembered in the history of both Iranian and world cinema. This striking conclusion brilliantly masks the film’s shortcomings, making them feel almost irrelevant. Although the performances can seem uneven and the narrative unfolds through symbolic slogans set against sweeping desert landscapes, the film weaves in a distinctive humor—born from the irrational choices of characters bent on revenge during interrogations with uncertain identities. This interplay creates a compelling tension. The fragmented cuts and seemingly aimless storylines, which at first might…

The film “Sex” is the first part of a trilogy by Norwegian director Johan Haugerud, created last year. This film presents a different narrative on infidelity, a topic that has always been one of the fundamental challenges in human relationships. The story revolves around two male colleagues who continue their old job of cleaning chimney flues; a profession that takes on new meaning within the context of modern towers and apartments, illustrating the clash between tradition and modernity. The film focuses on the lives of two middle-class families; simple yet capable families engaged in respectful conversations about the boundaries of…