Movie Review: One Night

Here is my review of Niki Karimi’s New movie, ONE NIGHT. You can also find it in this week’s Issue of English Shahrvand.

One woman, One city, One night. Niki Karimi, already celebrated as a well-known actress of Iranian Cinema, has taken the next step in her artistic evolution and has produced her first film as a director, the much talked-about “One Night” (Persian title ‘Yek Shab’).

The film, definitely praiseworthy, especially as a first effort, however, still lacks the maturity, poise and depth which Iranian filmmaking is known for in international Cinema circles. The film, a minimalist piece by most measures, is centred almost entirely on dialogue, and shot almost entirely outdoors. The fact that almost the whole of the movie takes place inside three separate cars is homage to Kiarostami’s controversial Ten, whose influence on One Night is by no means lost.

The tale begins as Negar (played well by Hanie Tavassoli) comes home from her long day’s work as a secretary only to find that she has to leave and stay somewhere else for the night because her mother – who is never actually seen on the screen – is expecting someone over. The fact that the person is a man is made clear only implicitly, and serves as the opening to a meditative take on the relationship between man and woman.

Not really having another option, Negar decides to wander the streets of Tehran for the night, imagining that perhaps, at best, it can be an experience. She repeatedly attempts to contact her boyfriend, but is unable to get a hold of him. It is while walking along the street that she takes her first car ride of the night.

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January 27, 2006 | Filed Under Cinema | Leave a Comment

Concert Review: Daniel Barenboim, Bach to the Basics

A few nights ago we had the pleasure of seeing the celebrated pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, in recital at the Chatelet Theatre. I’d be lying to you if i said that we weren’t looking forward to this recital. When we were taking out our subscriptions last year for this coming year, we had to choose between Barenboim, Maurizio Pollini, Ivan Moravec, Nelson Freire, Yundi Li, Alfred Brendel, and Murray Perrahia.

The problem with Paris (if one could fall it a problem) is that there is simply WAY TOO MUCH to do. There are far too many concerts that are wonderful for us to afford to go to all of them, so one has to make the choices. We decided that we would limit ourselves to three (in these series of recitals). The other problem is the price. The cheapest of these tickets (we were in the 4th or 5th balcony) were about 20 euros. The most expensive around 90.

In the end we chose, Barenboim, Pollini and Yundi Li. Barenboim, because, well it’s Barenboim. Pollini, because one does not know how longer he will be giving recitals, and though he is no longer the fiery head-turning artist that he used to be, it’s still an honour to get to see him live. And finally, Yundi Li, because all the news around him was making him to be the greatest thing since Pollini. In fact we got to see Yundi Li earlier in the year performing the Chopin Piano concerto, and i have to say that it sounded rather lifeless and ordinary. So the opinion is still out on him. The media has made an Apollonian/Dionysian battle between Lang Lang (which we actually met in person last year!), and so far, i have to say i find Lang Lang a much much deeper artist.

As to why the others weren’t chosen, well, we already have tickets for two other Nelson Freire performance; Brendel is wonderful as an artist and completely uninteresting as a person, and Moravec, well, depsite the fact that he is a legend also, i just don’t know enough to choose him over the likes of Pollini and Barenboim. Ok, back to the concert .

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January 26, 2006 | Filed Under Music | 1 Comment