Ballad of a White Cow (2020) User Reviews

Compelling drama, showcasing Iranian women cannot possibly live their own life independent of male supervision

[JvH48 · 8/10 · 29 December 2021]

Compelling drama, highlighting women's very narrowly restricted freedom to live a life in Iran. She became a widow after her husband was executed for a murder. The opening scene shows us that the judicial system failed here, in hindsight, as the real murderer was found later, one year after the execution. Quote: "It would have been the will of Allah, otherwise this would not have happened," a peculiar line of reasoning that only believers in Divine Providence can follow. She demands a bureaucratic excuse and is promised some financial compensation but that is left dangling for no clear reason.

Being dramatic enough in itself, it is only a prelude to the story that follows. After letting an unrelated man in her house, someone who wants to repay a debt owed to her late husband, precisely at a moment that she nearly runs out of money, so he was very welcome. Alas, others in the apartment block saw it happening without a "responsible relative" present, and this proves to be ample reason for unconditional eviction out of her apartment. Similar offenses against how a woman should behave, all of those trivial in our eyes, gave rise to accusations of being a bad mother, and she has to defend the custody of her daughter in court.

The death penalty after a murder is not the central issue here, although it seems that way for a moment. As explained in the movie, imprisonment seems easier to reverse when proven unjustified after some years. But that is only superficially so (quote: can you repair 10 years of someone's life in prison??). There had been due process, after which three judges were convinced of the guilt of the defendant. This movie has no intention to criticize Iran's judicial system (contrary to convictions in the context of religion or politics, as demonstrated in other movies, but that is a completely different matter and not the topic here). In the murder case at hand there were two independent witnesses, which is deemed sufficient as per current law (quote: how many more witnesses do we need to be really sure?). And that one of the witnesses proved an opportunistic liar in hindsight, being the actual murderer himself, can happen everywhere.

I don't think it is proficient to reveal subsequent developments. It is made very clear that every move this woman makes, works out contra productively. After losing her house (see above), also her job in the factory she works is at stake, as well as the custody of her daughter. Then there appears a man she does not know on her doorstep, at the rescue. I leave the remainder of the story for you to watch how it logically develops while seeing this movie that is worth its time in full.

Interesting movie

[jussipekkaturunen · 8/10 · 11 August 2022]

I believe the movie tries to make a message about the irreversible consequence of execution penalty by court system and how it eventually destroys life on rather large scale, not just life of the prisoner, but also life of the relatives of the prisoner and also life of the people who are serving the court system.

I really did like the plot in the movie. It is mainly conveyed via dialogue which was enjoyable to follow. You can guess in some point what the final act is going to be. Once you realize that, it is actually really interesting to follow how things evolve to the conclusion.

Good movie. Give it a change.

One interesting notion during the movie. I think it has only one music track which is played only once at the movie.

A Tragedy Formed by Religious and Political Realities

[wmrvincent · 8/10 · 13 February 2022]

The movie synopsis reveals that the husband of a woman and father has been tragically executed in error. I would have like to have known a little more about his trial an execution because those were cornerstones of the premise. However, they were not the focus of the film. Viewers are told more about those circumstances throughout the film and they might have revealed secrets that were important to storytelling. The widow suffers in many ways far beyond the initial tragedy because of the regressive actions of her in-laws and the misogynistic attitudes and laws of her society. Moreover, the widow was not the only person who suffers great loss in response to the wrongful execution, as the effects of the tragedy spread to many others in unexpected ways. The film constantly challenges the viewer not only to acknowledge criminal justice and social systems, especially in Iran, but assess their own views of justice, consequences, and revenge.

This is a movie with a sad premise which gives us only brief episodes of happiness throughout and none at the end. I highly recommend watching this movie, but the viewer should be prepared to find little joy from the conclusion. I only hope that this film and others like it will shine some light on dark issues of women's and human rights in Iran and all around the world where supposedly good men impose their laws, values, and religious tenets unjustly upon others. Watch it and learn more about others and yourself.

"Guilty or innocent, the poor man is gone, it makes no difference now, what was important,is buried in the ground."

[morrison-dylan-fan · 10/10 · 31 August 2021]

After last night seeing the very good Stop-Zemlia (2021-also reviewed) I decided to dig deeper into the online line-up at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Finding gems like Sun Children (2020-also reviewed) at online festivals last year,I was thrilled to find an Iran New Wave film at Edinburgh,leading to me listening to the ballad.

View on the film:

Closing the door behind Mina speaking to her husband for the last time on Death Row as he is killed for a crime which he did not commit, co-writers (with Mehrdad Kouroshniya) /co-directors Maryam Moghadam & Behtash Sanaeeha are joined by cinematographer Amin Jafari in mourning with Mina by displaying a sharp eye for draining the colour from the household,

Stepping back to capture the withdrawn state of the family, the directors superbly line the dour walls across the screen in refined Iran New Wave (INW) long-take wide-shots, which are spread across the state Mina and her daughter are in, as Mina fights for the Government to officially state in public the wrongful death they sentenced her husband to.

Detached from receiving moral support due to the stigma that being a single mother (due to becoming a widow) has in the country, co-writer/co-director Maryam Moghadam gives an astonishing performance as Mina, whose subtle anguish facial expression and downcast gaze is cleverly used by Moghadam to capture the weight of sorrow on Mina's shoulders.

Introducing the family as their lives get torn apart on Death Row, the screenplay by Kouroshniya/ Moghadam and Sanaeeha magnificently dips into the aftermath to make thoughtful criticism on society in Iran, (where the film is banned) via every attempt made by officials to refuse to admit that Mina's husband was innocent and wrongly given the death penalty.

Struck by the refusal of those officials to admit they got it wrong, the writers intelligently expand on this refusal, to wider society, where everyone Mina puts her hand out to, brushes it away due to her being a single mum/a widow, with the lone sign of support crumbling in a harrowing twisting ending in the final lines of the ballad.

Mesmerising

[pmuchteros · 9/10 · 14 May 2022]

Finally quality cinematography after a long time. Fortunately this is because of movies from countries like Iran where this gem comes from. 1 hour and 41 minutes with not a single boring second. It grips you from the beginning without letting you down until the end. A manifestation against death penalty, showing a very original aspect of the facts, so I cannot reveal anything otherwise I am gonna spoil the whole movie. After a while the whole plot points out brilliantly the connection between loss, justice, rules, forgiveness and punishment by people and God; the perfect confession to a crime which falls apart despite the strong evidence. In any case this movie is ideal for every judge and prosecutor out there, it's a very deep lesson to crisis above people for their actions. It also contains some very provoking parts from the Coran, some are quite chilling as this one: the meaning of our life lies at the consequences of our actions. Go and watch it.

Fantastic

[kathiravanvj · 8/10 · 18 February 2022]

Have you been wept recently watching a movie. Watch this movie. Its a family drama. Its is rare to see good people in real day life thats why we have these cinemas to watch and look upon ourselves.

Confusing ending

[sbijapure · 2/10 · 19 September 2023]

The overall movie is good as explained in all the earlier reviews. But what happens in the end? The man is shown sitting in a chair. Why? What happened to him?

Did she take revenge on the repentant?

If yes, what happened to the others on the panel who did not regret their action?

The person who feels guilty is punished and those who felt they did the right thing are not punished, at least not so severely. Right?

Is your feeling of revenge satisfied after only one member, from the group of perpetrators, meets a violent end? Or do you go to hunt down the others as well?

The Supreme Court gives its opinion only after the additional information comes in. Anybody could have done that. Even those whom we consider as defaulters. Even we. This is not a solution to any problem. What if a third piece of information comes in later on?

Even after the Supreme Court gives its opinion, no change is made to the system.

They say the events happened according to God's will. They do not say which event occurred against His will. (If everything occurred according to His will then why bring it into discussion?)

The movie leaves many questions unanswered. The ending is very confusing.

Iranian Message in a Bottle

[ZeddaZogenau · 8/10 · 3 December 2023]

On the day on which BERLINALE winner Jafar Panahi (Golden Bear 2015 for "Taxi Tehran") was arrested in Tehran, it is of course even more important to remember Iranian cinema. This film also tells of guilt and forgiveness with formal rigor. Together with her husband Behtash Sanaeeha, the Swedish-Iranian actress, director and screenwriter Maryam Moghaddam (*1970) was nominated for the Golden Bear at the BERLINALE 2021.

Mina's husband (Maryam Moghaddam) was sentenced to death and executed a year ago. Since then, she has had to look after her deaf daughter Bita (Avin Purraoufi) alone. Her brother-in-law (Pourya Rahimisam) makes an unpleasant effort to look after her. Suddenly it turns out that Mina's husband was innocent. The judge Reza (Alireza Sanifar), whom Mina has never seen, has remorse and begins to take care of Mina and her daughter. Of course, this can't remain undetected forever...

What does it mean to have to live normal everyday life and special crisis situations in a religious dictatorship like Iran? Especially in a big city juggernaut like Tehran! However, there can be no normal everyday life for single women in Iran. And even for young guys like Reza's son, the only way out is often to escape into an overdose. After all, drugs are not a problem in Tehran. Films from Iran are often like a message in a bottle that smuggles secret messages. This is also the case here, where little Bita was named after a film character from 1972, who was played by the Persian superstar Googoosh (*1950, according to Wikipedia) in the pre-revolutionary period.

A great film in which every look, every gesture and every detail counts. Let's hope that Panahi and all his imprisoned colleagues will be released soon!!!

Had potential. But a seriously lazy ending

[beherenow3 · 4/10 · 25 December 2023]

I am really disappointed. What was well written and had a good plotline for the first 95 mins of the movie is ruined by lazy weird writing at the end. Great cinematography. Well written dialogue. But honestly what's with the ending? Let's go back to the beginning. A man is executed for murder. His wife is the movie's protagonist. She finds out he's unequivocally innocent (of course) and wants the court and the judges held accountable. The one judge who actually feels extremely bad about making the wrong decision, has extreme guilt. On the pretext he use to be friends with the dead man, he gives her money and sets her up in a decent apartment. He even uses his court connections to make sure she keeps custody of her daughter. Which is seriously nice work by him. But he never quite has the guts to tell her who he is. (although he almost does a couple of times). It's a cool plotline. And well filmed. So, when she finally finds out (through someone else) who he is, what does she do? Well, she poisons him of course and he dies gasping for air on her dining room floor. Seriously?? What was a proper sensible mature adult movie until this point ends in this ridiculously unrealistic way? I Felt so ripped off. Where did she get the poison? Would this nice woman really *Murder* someone?? Did she not realise it's all shades of grey and this man had been a huge help to her? That his execution-judgment was based on the evidence presented to him at the trial and that other judges came to the same decision? That the system is to blame, and even if he was personally to blame, somehow poisoning him was not the answer? That she really (if she was real and not a movie character) would never do this in a million years? What was subtle and nice and enjoyable for 95 minutes ends up being as subtle as a sledgehammer. Didn't even feel right. Let alone seem real within the disbelief suspended of the movie.