Zamani barayé masti asbha (2000)

Director:

Bahman Ghobadi

Writer:

Bahman Ghobadi (writer)

Release Date:

13 September 2000 (France)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

Young Iranian Kurds (brothers and sisters) try to save the youngest of them, who is seriously ill.

Plot Keywords:

Iran | Kurd | Iraq | Children | Refugee

Awards:

10 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Ayoub Ahmadi	...	Ayoub
Rojin Younessi	...	Rojin
Amaneh Ekhtiar-dini	...	Ameneh
Madi Ekhtiar-dini	...	Madi
Kolsolum Ekhtiar-dini
Karim Ekhtiar-dini
Rahman Salehi
Osman Karimi
Nezhad Ekhtiar-dini

Also Known As:

A Time for Drunken Horses (International: English title)
Intoxication for Horses (International: English title) (informal title)

Runtime:

80 min | Argentina:85 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Iran

Language:

Persian | Kurdish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:6 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:11 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG

Company:

Bahman Ghobadi Films

Trivia:

The first feature film in Kurdish, a language which was banned in Iranian schools since the 1940s, to achieve an international release.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Zendegi dar meh (1999)

A worthwhile look at a slice of (a very difficult) life

I wasn't sure where this movie was going for the first 15 minutes, but before long I was drawn into the story like the rest of the audience. This could be considered in the "Indy" film class, but whatever rough edges it might have only add to the impact of the story. Reason tells me it was fiction, but I really had the feeling we were there, or at least that one of the characters was filming the whole thing with a handicam.

The filmmaker did what he set out to do: He make a film that makes us care about some of his people. The conditions these people struggle under are appalling, and are made all the more difficult by politics. My girlfriend and I left the theatre wondering where we could find out more about these people and what can be done for them.

The young actors, especially Madi, are as good as - and perhaps better than - any $20 million Hollywood superstar. This is Film, not a Hollywood formula flick, and the story is worth seeing, however bleak it may seem at times.