s-zafarany Review of Here Without Me

Here Without Me (2011)

Here Without Me is one of the best titles among Persian films

[9/10 · 19 October 2012]

At this time I just watched the title twice. Never write a review of a movie, but this one is different, I feel like I want to write my thoughts. Film begins with Ehsan in a bus heading to south in order to leave the country. And serious financial problems and lack of chances for advancement for the young is the cause. A young talented man wants to be a screenplay writer, but he can't and he believes he must get rid of this country and his poor family. Problem is, he really loves his mother and sister. The ones he can't ignore and wants them better fate. When he realizes that his sister had fallen in love with one of his friends, the other side of story began. No one can tell you the story better than the movie itself. No one can tell you the smallest details better than the movie itself. And nothing is better than storytelling of the movie. This movie, involves you. In fact, you believe every thing in the film's atmosphere, one by one, at every moment. Way of directing is awesome. Director wants you to go and sit alongside characters in their house. On the sofa! He just did his job well. It's my favorite moment. Back in the bus, he is going to leave the country for real, and he says: "I can't recognize what is real and what is not. Things happened with no regularity. I'm going to leave that home and I wont come back ever. This is gonna lead me see the real." Then we follow the story to the end. You think the film is honest with you and there is just one story line. But you are wrong. You are not a good audience! The film will tell you two separate stories. One is gonna end happy. One is .... you go and watch. But the way you see things, is brilliant! The ending is best in the history of Iranian cinema. The conclusion of this drama is better than better than better. One more thing! The acting is just real. That's all. Except Mother's roll that is a little bold and exaggerated. Motamed Aria is a good actress but not good enough in comparison with Saber Abar and Negar Javaherian. Motamed Aria won the award of an American festival, but the fact is something else. Believe me, she is away from an Iranian mother who cares a lot about her children. Ehsan is real, Yalda is real, but she is not. Everything else is OK. Locations, camera, decoration, sound, music, editing and every thing is just OK. That does make sense, doesn't it? The last scene of the movie is so important. The way you can recognize what was true, and what wasn't. When everything is right in a movie, you can call it masterpiece. But something isn't right in this one. So I think 9 out of 10 is very best score. That thing isn't right in a dialogue. At one moment, mother and Ehsan sitting together. The point is, mother's feelings. She stands at the end of the line. She had a fight and ejected from her work. She ask her son a cigarette. She hate cigarettes! But she does not know what to do any more. Then she asks: "Was you serious about suicide?" He responds: "No I wasn't!" THIS: "NO I WASN'T" can destroy whole story. But the last scene save it! You wont miss this one. YOU WONT. Well done Bahram Tavakoli. Really good job. Thank you for sustaining my bad English.