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ITP classic
The girl in the sneakers (1999)
Directed by:
Rasul Sadr Ameli
Tagline:
'Love is a strange journey'
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As
with Iranian cinema, a majority of the Persian films that are churned
out usually have strong socio-political undertones. But this is not
to state that these graver undertones override the film in any way,
rather, they seem to ground the story of the movie somehow. And the
stories – that revolve around very simple people – are
extremely black and white. Expect no grey areas. No blood and gore,
seduction or scenes tipping over a mild 'PG' into a rather smutty
'R'. You'll find none of that in Iranian cinema. But what you can
expect is this: a script that is rich, layered and structured –
delivered by actors with expressive eyes…and stripped of any
kind of star façade.
Directed by Rasul Sadr Ameli and released in 1991, The girl in the
sneakers (also known as Dokhtari Ba Kafsh-Haye-Katani in Farsi), truly
is a Persian classic.
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The
story follows young Tadai (Pegah Ahangarani), a doe-eyed fifteen year
old girl and her adventures (on the streets of Tehran) in search of
Aideen (Majid Hajizadeh) – Tadai's friend and puppy-love-crush.
The innocence of their relationship is captured right in the beginning
of the film as it unravels – showing Tadai and Aidin walking
in a park on a sunny day, and speaking of their dreams and a life
together. But all of this changes when the local police are alerted
of Tadai and Aidin's liaison by a passer-by in the park.
Hauled off by the cops to the police station and after a series of
brazen questioning of both children's parents, both Tadai and Aidin
are then banned from ever speaking to or seeing each other ever again.
Incensed and distressed, courageous little Tadai, cloaked in her heavy
jacket, hijab and shiny white sneakers, embarks upon a long one-day
journey where she winds up meeting strangers (gypsies and the homeless)
that show her a rougher side of the tracks. As one film critic stated,
The girl in the sneakers is "made without any moral judgment".
It is true; the film flows like a nonjudgmental snapshot of Tehran's
youth.
In each scene, Rasul Sadr Ameli gives this simple little film, a very
multi-dimensional feel that is often open to interpretation at each
turn. Such as, Tadai's understanding of her situation towards the
end can be comprehended in many different ways – that she is
at peace after a harrowing and eventful day, or that even after her
newly acquired life lesson, she is pained and discontented.
Here, in comparison to the rest of the movie (which is represented
in tones of black and white) The girl in the sneakers dips, flows
and makes its way into greyer areas.
It is true that one must have the patience and fondness of all films
foreign, to really enjoy this Persian movie…considering the
fact that we're so used to being fed an audio-visual diet of fast-paced
Hollywood flicks. Yet, with its simplicity in both pace and structure,
Tadai's adventures in The girl in sneakers is a must-see for each
avid (foreign) film viewer out there.
--By Sonya Rehman |
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