Revolutionary Memories Of Bahman Who Loved Leila

****

Reviewed by: Andrew Robertson

Revolutionary Memories Of Bahman Who Loved Leila
"A simple tale, beautifully told."

"He who wishes the world to remain as it is wishes it to cease to exist."

Composed of cunningly recoloured photographs of the era, assembled underneath the deep voice of Hassan Pourshirazi, this is the story of Bahman - Bahman who loved Leila, who was young and in love during the Islamic Revolution of 1978.

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It's a simple tale, beautifully told - those photographs, people and places and things that are relevant picked out in bold colour - a blue here, a purple there, green, come the revolution, and red.

Later there will be colour footage, moving footage, answers and weddings and tragedies, but initially, brilliantly, black and white and voice, black and white and a splash of colour, black and white and the narration - deep as Barry White, clear and direct and touching.

Bahman and his father, "I see the bottom of the creek, you see the surface", a refrain at times - "bottom of the creek, surface, bottom of the creek, surface" - neatly paced to pull us through, then reflective, contemplative. Call it animated documentary, a well-used score (including some Stockhausen), a well-told story.

Farahnaz Sharifi directed, wrote with Mohammadreza Farzad, creating a small story of a short period in a big event - the piece informs the whole, and all that - the Revolutionary Memories Of Bahman Who Loved Leila are worth remembering.

Reviewed on: 25 Jun 2012
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Photographs recall a love story played out against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution.

Director: Farahnaz Sharifi

Year: 2011

Runtime: 15 minutes

Country: Iran

Festivals:

EIFF 2012

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