0A comment on Kiseye Berendj
The Retrospective section at this year's Berlinale shows films on the theme "Young at Heart - Coming of Age at the Movies". Well-known filmmakers have put together the films for the programme. Tilda Swinton chose the Iranian film Kiseye Berendj by Mohammad-Ali Talebi from 1996. Here, the viewer enchantingly follows the little girl Jairan who, together with her old neighbour, makes her way through the labyrinth of Theran to buy a sack of rice. It is the dramas of everyday life that are shown on the big screen. In a time where cinema is overloaded with complex storylines, plot twists and special effects, it is a pleasant surprise to experience how this narrative can shine in its simplicity.
Tilda Swinton writes about this timeless film: "We each alchemically become a small girl as we watch this film. We become her elderly neighbour, tentative and dependent, short sighted and frail. Maybe we also become a big bag of rice, travelling across Tehran, totemically precious and perilous, but full of nourishment and promise. All three beings who are reliant on the kindness of strangers."
So now, with help of the following pictures and quotes, you can become a little girl, an old neighbour or a bag of rice and travel across Tehran and get an impression of the film:
The way to the rice
"Where do you live?"
"You take the bus to the other side of the bridge. You get off and there’s an alley. First you go right the you go left. You come to a big street, then turn right again. Then turn left again. There is a linen shop, a toy shop and other shops. There’s lot of rubbish lying around if you step on it you might slip over. On the next corner there’s a kebab shop. You mustn’t eat there. If you do, you’ll be sick. Turn right into a little street. Our house is number 12, on the right."
"Look, there is a lovely park, come and see! Babyfish are swimming after the mother fish. The duck is swimming round and round. Isn’t it a lovely park? They’re all playing with balls and having fun."
"All I can see is trees."
"They’re behind the trees."
The way back home
„This Film holds the magic to make us feel better about living among human beings. And points us to the bright horizon of a future founded on compassion and fellowship. This work is a battery for hope, faith and love; and cinema is rarely more valuable than that. „ - Tilda Swinton.
Filmstills © Mitra Mahaseni Drawings © Liv Thastum
Keine Kommentare