听 Writer/director Yektapanah's dryly-comic debut feature "Djomeh" has taken some time to find a UK release following its Camera d'Or success at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. But British audiences can now celebrate another rich, distinctive voice in contemporary Iranian cinema thanks to the National Film Theatre.
Djomeh (newcomer Nazari) is an Afghani exile who has come to settle in the remote mountains of Northern Iran due to a recent failed romance. Toiling on a dairy farm for his kindly Iranian boss Mahmoud (Behraznia), the milk boy encounters discrimination from the Iranian villagers and disdain from Habib (Akbari), a fellow Afghani charged with Djomeh's welfare. When a demure young grocery store assistant catches his eye, Djomeh asks Mahmoud to intercede and act on his behalf in a fresh quest for romance. Himself still single, Mahmoud is fearful of the outcome but grudgingly agrees.
Yektapanah has clearly profited from working with established Iranian film maker, Abbas Kiarostami, whose work "Djomeh" most closely resembles. It shares a similar wry humour (the would-be Romeo is forever buying over-priced canned goods in attempts to engage his intended in conversation) and a perceptive, engaging sensibility concerning the often-absurd foibles of human nature.
The film is delicately paced and founded on deft characterisation with affecting performances from the largely non-professional cast - the grizzled, world weary Behraznia stands out. A melancholic mediation on the constant and often elusive yearning for companionship and love, it also speaks volumes about the barbarity of cultural and religious intolerance. Another Iranian cinematic success.
In Iranian with English subtitles.
