It’s cinema verite at its purest and most beautiful; the silver screen at its most magical. It’s tempting but dangerous to approach artists from exotic cultures in terms of more familiar reference points — such as comparing Zhang Yimou’s Ju Dou to The Postman Always Rings Twice or reading Souleymane Cisse’s Brightness as if it were an African Star Wars, as some American and English critics have done. A man who speaks of being typecast as the villain, was later cast as the cop in "Moment of Innocence"), I felt it got monotonous and was rather cruel (guess it's a cruel biz). He explores the very foundation of cinema and what it takes to produce a film. It’s cinema verite at its purest and most beautiful; the silver screen at its most magical. Makhmalbaf is a visionary filmmaker, a philosopher, and a humanist. One of the most popular and influential Iranian filmmakers of his era, Mohsen Makhmalbaf … What we believe to be true in one scene is shown to be scripted in the next, and we’re constantly given a new perspective on a simple event being re-enacted over and over again until we begin to question what we know about the narrative.TOC also ranked this as the director's 2nd greatest work.Another one of Makhmalbaf’s minimalist poetic masterpieces, “The Silence” explores the very concept of music. His work intrigues me, both mind and soul. Makhmalbaf looks at brotherhood by satirizing the highhanded excesses of nationhood. Reviews. The result is tear-jerking. “Marriage of the Blessed” directly addresses the brutality of the Iran-Iraq war, the ethics of portrayal, and the role mass media plays in its exploitation.With all the censorship issues it's amazing it works as well as it does. His work intrigues me, both mind and soul. From blatant self-aware plagiarism to parody to pure cinematic curiosity, “Once Upon a Time, Cinema” is by far the most innovative film by Makhmalbaf, and perhaps one of the most palatable and enjoyable cinematic experiences in Iranian cinema history.Makhmalbaf’s film in the anthology “Tales From an Island,” “Testing Democracy” is to Makhmalbaf what “The Idiots” is to Lars von Trier. His main screen test is to give applicants 30 seconds to cry. In the middle of the ocean, a woman with a ballet box is parachuted down and refuses to let Makhmalbaf vote since he does not have any identification.“Testing Democracy” is an exercise in filmmaking, a video essay on the absurdities of politics and the power of digital filmmaking.Another one of Makhmalbaf’s minimalist poetic masterpieces, “The Silence” explores the very concept of music.

One of Makhmalbaf’s strengths has always been his abandonment of his past ideals for the sake of a purely new ideological experience, and it truly shows how strongly he has changed his scope in order to make this film.Perhaps Makhmalbaf’s most internationally acclaimed film, “Gabbeh” shows a drastic change in direction for Makhmalbaf’s filmmaking. I think he's an incredible talent (with an incredibly talented family).In the notes, I've posted a few links, and several quotes from Khashayar Mohammadi's Top 10 List found here - TOC ranked this 7th, though I consider it Makhmalbaf's supreme masterpiece, and named it my best picture for the year of its release.The beauty of the film lies in its sincerity, its delicate storytelling through the smallest details, and its constant reinvention of its own narrative.
And as I dig deeper into his politics, social concerns, philosophies (the relativism), and inspirations (Rumi and the mirrors) they've become even richer. He believes in the cinema of change and creates works of art that push the audience’s comfort level to its limits in order to make a statement.His film “Afghan Alphabet” about Afghan immigrants made the government open its public schools and universities to Afghan immigrants for the first time. Funny to think that while it seems like he's toying with these folks.... they got their wish, they starred in a movie.

He believes in the cinema of change and creates works of art that push the audience’s comfort level to its limits in order to make a statement. Through orchestrating some of the most bizarre scenes in Iranian cinema, Makhmalbaf begins to make bold statements about the absurdity of politics.Perhaps one of the most magical moments of Makhmalbaf’s cinema is his speech aimed at an audience of seagulls. Color is given a history. It’s the epitome of Makhmalbaf’s cinema.A trilogy that offers variations of the same story, with the same characters.A short documentary about Busan International Film Festival founder Kim Dong-ho. Zainalzadeh begins to cry in 10 seconds, tells how much crying he did for cinema’s sake, how much work he did to be cast in “The Cyclist.”When two young girls cannot cry on cue, they are adamant about how crying isn’t paramount to the art of acting. Movie Reviews Great Movies Collections TV/Streaming Features Chaz's Journal Interviews. His films have resulted in legislative change.Makhmalbaf’s strength is in his insatiable appetite for culture. The biting dark satire about a dictator on the run with his grandson is wise, painful, human - is it not expansive enough as some accuse? Mohsen Makhmalbaf is an Iranian film director, writer, film editor, and producer. He has seldom made movies about the same subject and about the same ethnicity. He pits people against each other, and watches them betray their own statements from a few seconds ago in order to simply get cast in a famous director’s movie.He orchestrates mock group shootouts, asks people to sing their favorite songs, and dissects their reasons for becoming actors.