…and if the critics are right, this “chicken” won’t lay an egg.
Indeed, “Rotten Tomatoes” has given it four stars while New York’s “Daily News” gave it three stars. The flick, which opened in two theaters in New York and will soon be out in a limited release in selected city cinemas, is set in Teheran in 1958. It tells the tale of Nasser Ali Khan, a violinist whose instrument has broken worse than Robert Pattinson’s current attitude towards relationships. Depressed, he confines himself to bed to await his death; only to have dreams that take him to a better time–his youth. While asleep, he has an awakening to the truth thanks to a conversation with “Azraël, the Angel of Death,” who tells Khan his children’s future—and a poignant secret that inspired his music…and himself.
The cast of this film includes the French actor Mathieu Amalric; who is known as the bad guy to James Bond in “Quantum of Solace.” “Chicken With Plums” (directed by: Marjane Satrapi, and Vincent Paronnaud) also gives plum roles to two offsprings of Hollywood and Euro-film royalty; Isabella Rosellini (Ingrid Bergman and director Roberto Rossellini) and Chiara Mastroianni, the daughter of Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni and French actress Catherine Deneuve. The flick also features Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani (“Body of Lies”).
At least Ms. Rosellini saw her parents as a couple until she was five years old. Ms. Matroianni said: “I’ve never seen my parents together, never in my whole life. They split when I was two, so I’ve no recollection of them as a couple. I’ve never even seen them kiss – except in the movies.”
“Chicken with Plums” is another Iranian flavored film that continues the new tradition of fine fare coming out and/or about a country not exactly known as the Hollywood of the Middle East.
The impressive list includes:
“A Separation” (2011) winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, directed by Asghar Farhadi.
“House of Sand and Fog”– a 2003 epic where stars Ben Kingsley and Shohreh Aghdashloo were nominated for Academy Awards.
“The Iran Job” – a fascinating documentary telling the story of an American basketball player in Iran.
“Olive” – a movie entirely shot on cellphone which was made by Iranian-American filmmaker and San Francisco radio personality Hooman Khalili.
“Perspolis” – an Academy Award nominee animation film; co-directed by the Iranian writer Satrapi who co directed “Chicken With Plums.”
And…. the soon to be released (Oct. 12) Ben Affleck directed “Argo.” The film is about how the CIA, with help from Hollywood and the Canadian Embassy, used a fake movie project to get six Americans out of Tehran during the 1979 hostage crisis.
Maybe one day, people won’t hear Iranian and American politicians’ saber rattling and hear the dialogue of “Iranian movies;” movies that can actually open once closed minds.
Unfortunately, Hollywood will only do mind opening films if people open their wallets and buy tickets to “Iranian films.”
CLICK HERE to view the trailer for the film on Apple Trailers
CLICK HERE for release dates.