"Ten" is a lesson of cinema. It is entirely shot in a car with two fixed cameras: one on the female driver, one on her passengers. Long shots, no camera movement, no music, no dramatic event, just dialogues: Kiarostami boils down form to its simplest elements. He reaches the extreme extent of his documentary-like style that appeared in his previous movies, at different degrees. He seems to go back to the origins of cinema (notably the Lumière brothers), when a fixed camera was simply shooting real-life scenes. This is hinted by the numbers appearing as in rushes (10, 9, 8, ), which punctuate the scenes.
Paradoxically, these self-imposed constraints deliver a powerful artistic impact, for at least two reasons.
1. The movie gains in intensity, as if Kiarostami compensated the simple form by a strong content: dialogues are dense even though they are natural; characters are well outlined without being caricatured; Iranian society is depicted without concession. It notably shows women's difficult conditions: obliged to lie to divorce, criticised by their family if they do, alone when old, abandoned by their lover, sometimes obliged to prostitute themselves. The movie's freedom of speech is surprising considering censorship in Iran. Nevertheless, Kiarostami's goal is not to criticise his country: his movie has a universal reach, as show for instance the facts that none of the persons have names, that they have universal attributes (mother, son, sister, old lady, prostitute, friend), that there are no specific references to Iranian politics and that we never know where the car is exactly.
2. Kiarostami introduces small exceptions to the general setting, at carefully chosen moments, which enhances the aesthetical and emotional impact of these scenes. They are easy to notice because the film sobriety increases our awareness, since our focus is not distracted by secondary elements.
This minimalist movie is hence very elaborate. Its preparation lasted a year and a half, the shooting as much as three months. It is a real tour de force: giving a sense of reality and simplicity by concealing skillful directing. As another illustration, the action outside of the car is perfectly coordinated with the inside, for instance when the driver speaks with external people, or when an ambulance passes noisily just as the characters became silent.
EVOLUTION
Apparently simple in its form, the movie shows the psychological evolution of the mother. She first seems rigid with her son (granted, he is not easy to manage). Then she wants to help two old ladies (one refuses, one accepts to be driven), tries to understand a prostitute she has nothing in common with, tries to comfort her sad friend. At the end, she seems more relaxed, as if these experiences had somewhat changed her: she laughs of her weaknesses and accepts that the father keep the child, even if it might be done out of resignation.
The movie in general also seems to evolve. Many dialogues are conflicting, with the son, the sister and the prostitute. Characters frequently seem to be in defence mode and to hide their feelings (symbolically, two of them are not shown: the old lady and the prostitute). As we have seen, persons are mostly shown separately, highlighting the gap between them. Then, in the penultimate scene, a woman exposes herself figuratively and literally: she voices her despair and takes off her veil, revealing her shaved head, a doubly astonishing act in Iran. It is a very moving scene, sober and delicate, crowning a subtle movie. The contrast with the final blunt scene ("Let's go to grandma's") makes it even more gripping.
If you like movies with action, special effects, simple roles and easy dialogues, I would not recommend "Ten". If you want see a movie about real life, be in touch with the characters' feelings, discover other countries' cinema and see how great a director Kiarostami is, then "Ten" is a top choice.
Paradoxically, these self-imposed constraints deliver a powerful artistic impact, for at least two reasons.
1. The movie gains in intensity, as if Kiarostami compensated the simple form by a strong content: dialogues are dense even though they are natural; characters are well outlined without being caricatured; Iranian society is depicted without concession. It notably shows women's difficult conditions: obliged to lie to divorce, criticised by their family if they do, alone when old, abandoned by their lover, sometimes obliged to prostitute themselves. The movie's freedom of speech is surprising considering censorship in Iran. Nevertheless, Kiarostami's goal is not to criticise his country: his movie has a universal reach, as show for instance the facts that none of the persons have names, that they have universal attributes (mother, son, sister, old lady, prostitute, friend), that there are no specific references to Iranian politics and that we never know where the car is exactly.
2. Kiarostami introduces small exceptions to the general setting, at carefully chosen moments, which enhances the aesthetical and emotional impact of these scenes. They are easy to notice because the film sobriety increases our awareness, since our focus is not distracted by secondary elements.
- As noted, there are only two fixed cameras. However at one point, a different angle shows us what is happening outside: a prostitute solicits a driver without success, then goes into another car. This sudden change of perspective plunges us in the reality of society: prostitution, money, male domination.
- Throughout the movie, the two camera angles are distinct: the driver and her passengers are never in the same frame. This reinforces the sense of psychological distance between the persons. However on rare occasions, they are in contact, which generates surprise and emotion: an old woman shows her relics, the mother touches the forehead of her son to feel if he has fever, the driver wipes the tears of her crying friend.
- Dialogues only occur in the car, however there are a few exceptions, for instance when the driver speaks to an outside merchant or to other drivers. The most striking examples are the short dialogues between the driver and her former husband, each one in their own car, on separate sides of the street. This highlights the distance between them, as well as the violence of their relationship, especially when the husband passes the car, blows the horn and shouts from his huge SUV which seems to crush the mother from her back.
- All scenes are quite long, in order to develop a separate intrigue, with a beginning, a story and an ending. However the last scene only lasts a few minutes. The son says "Let's go to grandma's" as he did previously, and the movie ends brutally. This short scene shows that life will go on as usual, that nothing will change.
This minimalist movie is hence very elaborate. Its preparation lasted a year and a half, the shooting as much as three months. It is a real tour de force: giving a sense of reality and simplicity by concealing skillful directing. As another illustration, the action outside of the car is perfectly coordinated with the inside, for instance when the driver speaks with external people, or when an ambulance passes noisily just as the characters became silent.
EVOLUTION
Apparently simple in its form, the movie shows the psychological evolution of the mother. She first seems rigid with her son (granted, he is not easy to manage). Then she wants to help two old ladies (one refuses, one accepts to be driven), tries to understand a prostitute she has nothing in common with, tries to comfort her sad friend. At the end, she seems more relaxed, as if these experiences had somewhat changed her: she laughs of her weaknesses and accepts that the father keep the child, even if it might be done out of resignation.
The movie in general also seems to evolve. Many dialogues are conflicting, with the son, the sister and the prostitute. Characters frequently seem to be in defence mode and to hide their feelings (symbolically, two of them are not shown: the old lady and the prostitute). As we have seen, persons are mostly shown separately, highlighting the gap between them. Then, in the penultimate scene, a woman exposes herself figuratively and literally: she voices her despair and takes off her veil, revealing her shaved head, a doubly astonishing act in Iran. It is a very moving scene, sober and delicate, crowning a subtle movie. The contrast with the final blunt scene ("Let's go to grandma's") makes it even more gripping.
If you like movies with action, special effects, simple roles and easy dialogues, I would not recommend "Ten". If you want see a movie about real life, be in touch with the characters' feelings, discover other countries' cinema and see how great a director Kiarostami is, then "Ten" is a top choice.