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…
Author: Narges Samadi
Narges Samadi
Narges Samadi, born in Iran, is a former emergency physician with over twenty years of experience in Tehran. Following her immigration to Canada, she transitioned into the field of cinema studies, culminating in her recent graduation from the Cinema Studies specialist program at the University of Toronto. Currently, she is the founder of “Narges Cinema House” in Toronto, which serves as a venue for film screenings, education in film history, and the production of critical writings.
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…
The Oscar race this year is like herding cats. We’re in a middle of a transitionary period and who knows where it will all end up. The Golden Globe voters are voting right now. Their ballots are due December 4th. the film that feels buzzy at the moment is Wicked, and I imagine they can expect to do very well at the Globes. The Golden Globes now have six nominees in all film categories, making predicting easier, especially in a year like this one. I think I forgot about that the last time I wrote about the Golden Globes. Oh…
TEHRAN-The 41st Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF) was inaugurated on Friday at Mellat Cineplex in Tehran with a tribute to the martyrs of Gaza. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mehdi Azarpendar, the festival secretary, said: “This festival has started with the slogan ‘A Fanciful World’. Of course, we know that the world we live in now isn’t all that fancy, but we hope for a time when there will be a great man in the world, making it more fantastic; a great man that calls for an end to the killing of children, so we no longer witness these…
Today Cinema Without Borders jury announced the winners of the Bridging The Borders Award for 2024 Lucas International Film Festival for Young Film Lovers in Germany. FOREIGN LANGUAGE, (Langue Étrangère) from France/Germany/Belgium directed by Claire Burger wins 2024 Bridging The Borders Award and our Honorary Mention goes to the SMELL OF BURNT MILK from Germany Directed by Justine Bauer. Bridging the Borders Award is offered by Cinema Without Borders Foundation and sponsored by 360 MEDIA Consulting Chale Nafus, one of the jury members announced the winner of Bridging the Borders Award and also the Honorary Mention in a video message…
21th Hungarian Film Festival , LA will be held from October 27th to November 2nd 2023 at Laemmle Monica Film Center, 1332 2nd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Four Souls of Coyote 2023, feature, animation, 104 minutes Set in the present day, Native American teenagers confront the crew of an oil pipeline project, just down the hill from the land of their ancestors. The grandfather evokes the ancient tale of their Creation myth, reminding all of us that the challenges facing humanity are universal, and that we need to find our place in the great circle of creatures. Director: Áron…
Filmmaker Jasmin Mozaffari ended the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sunday with her short film Motherland named the best Canadian film in the festival’s Short Cuts program. Motherland is a captivating story set around the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, when a man named Babak (Behtash Fazlali) goes to meet his fiancée’s parents and must face the harsh reality of what it means to be an Iranian immigrant. https://youtu.be/cYXPOjWDVmc?si=PwWvmctXUd_J1Jsl The idea for Motherland came from a personal place, based on the story of her parents. “My dad came from Iran in late ’78, ’79 to the U.S.,” Mozaffari explained to Yahoo Canada. “So it was…
A year after collecting his second Palme d‘Or for “Triangle of Sadness,” Ruben Östlund bestowed the same honor to Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” a thought-provoking legal drama which purports to investigate the guilt or innocence of a popular novelist (Sandra Hüller), accused of murdering her husband. But the film is every bit as much an inquest into their marriage, bringing private details from the couple’s personal life into the courtroom for the press, public and audience to dissect, as if under a microscope. Triet is only the third woman to win the Palme d’Or (after Jane Campion for…