The invisible face of Iranian power comes to Cannes


Rana MOUSSAOUI
Wed, 24 May 2023 

Asgari and Khatami presented 'Terrestrial Verses' in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes

A new film at Cannes, showing the everyday maddening frustration of dealing with Iranian authorities, reflects the "absurdity" of life in that country, say the makers.

"Terrestrial Verses" is a unique look inside daily life in Iran -- short snapshots of people arguing with authority figures who are never shown on-camera.

The vignettes are both horrible and darkly comic -- a man forced to strip down and explain his tattoos while applying for a driving licence, or a poor worker made to recite Quranic verses to get a construction job.

Co-directors Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami told AFP they are all drawn from the real-life experiences of friends and family, and will be instantly familiar to their fellow Iranians.

Indeed, the idea came together after Khatami was refused permission to make a previous version of the script -- reflecting another scene in the movie where a director must hack his screenplay to pieces to placate the censors.

"We were walking one night after my film was shut down and we were talking about some of the absurd conversations we have had with the authorities," Khatami told AFP in Cannes, where the film was playing in the Un Certain Regard section.

The directors insist it is not a direct attack on Iran's political system in particular.

"We are interested in the way the system functions. But you pick any negotiation of any individual with the authority in any country and put it on a camera, it becomes absurd," Khatami said.

"France, Switzerland, Lebanon, America -- every country has ridiculous ways it exerts power over its citizens and we individuals find a way to negotiate it."

- Hopeful for first time -

The shoot was interrupted midway through by the outbreak of mass protests following the killing of a young woman in police custody last September.

"We stopped everything for a couple of months because of what was going on," said Khatami.

"It was very sad to see this prophecy of the film coming to the streets."

At the same time, it has given them hope for the country's future -- even if they are currently staying abroad.

"This is the first time in my life I'm hopeful. Because this generation is aware," Khatami said.

The protests are "definitely a tipping point," he added.

"We saw a society come together. There was a sense of unity and with that comes a lot of hope."

ram-er/eab/cw