By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Maziar Miri
Starring: Hassan Poorshirazi | Mohammed-Reza Foroutan | Niloofar Khoshkholgh
Original language title: Be Ahestegi...
Country: iran
Year: 2007
Running time: 81
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758731/
Bruce says: “GRADUALLY (BE AHESTEGI…) is a gentle film about a couple coming to grips with personal issues that may be affecting their marriage. Mahmoud is a railroad welder who works hard and loves his wife Pari. But she has been acting strange and he thinks she may be mentally ill. When Pari disappears he reports her missing. The perplexed police inspector says ‘I would pay a million for my wife to disappear.’ So begins Mahmoud’s search. By the end of his journey he has dealt with bribery at every step. The bureaucrats become more and more creative with the red tape.
“When his wife is found it turns out she is a student living in a guest house, not an acceptable spot for a married woman. The way Mahmoud sees it there are three options: ‘I could put you in jail. I could divorce you. I could kill you.’ Passive in all matters except gender, she retorts ‘Just don’t divorce me.’ Wives are not supposed to talk back.
“As is frequently the case with films depicting lives outside Western culture, it is difficult to know what percent of the motivations are personal and what are cultural. Director Mazair Miri uses the camera wisely and tells his story well. 3 cats
“GRADUALLY screened at the 2007 New Directors/New Films festival co-sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and MOMA.”