is it true?


i just have to know is it true that baran says nothin the whole film?
what does she do then?

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Yep, actually, from what I saw, no woman spoke throughout the entire film except occaisionally you could sort of hear them in the background. Because Baran is pretending to be a boy I guess she can't speak or else she would give herself away. Actually, I found there was quite little speech in the film at all, mostly him watching her...although he did talk quite a bit.

It was such a sad film though...but sort of sweet to...I almost cried when he smiled at the end.

Saaty*
arbitraryweirdness.blogspot.com

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it was such a horrible movie, how can you stand watching this sh...?

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i think the fact that no woman spoke throughout the whole movie was symbolic?
Do I look as if I care?

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A BEAUTIFUL movie.....so what if she never spoke. The movie could have been a 'silent' for all I care....just the looks that the two main characters gave, spoke more than any 2 page dialogue ever could.

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but i mean that her silence was supposed to be a symbol of women in that society.
Do I look as if I care?

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I agree about the silence of women being symbolic. Of course, the situation was such that Baran could not speak because it would give her disguise away. However, it is noticeable how a situation did not arise where she HAD to talk. Finally, did anyone notice the symbolism of the "hat" used in the final scene. Lateef removes his hat and keeps it on the edge of the water puddle. The camera focuses on the hat for a long time--especially on the button at the side of the hat. I wonder what that mean't and I am curious to find how others interpreted that.

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It wasn't the button on his hat, it was her hairclasp that he had stuck inside the upturned earflap.

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Thanks so much for the clarification, exgiexpcv! Now the scene makes perfect sense. I will watch the scene again with that in mind.

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@ sgn852000-1

For the Symbol of the hat I had read this in on of the Majidi Interview:-
It is really great..have a read

Q:-At the end of the film, after the departure of Baran, Lateef is looking for the shoe repairman he saw earlier, but cannot find him. Then he enters a mausoleum. Could you explain the significance of this scene?

A:- Lateef has lost everything. To see the tombs in the graveyard gives him a sense of death. The curtain that sways with the breeze is symbolically calling him to death. He hears sounds—voices of prayer or voices of the dead people—and he surrenders. In a way, he renounces Baran. He leaves his cap behind, which is an indication that he goes beyond material things and becomes a spirit.


Regards,
Pawan

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I appreciate your posting this but man, it really confuses me.Lateef is giving up on life? committing suicide? he becomes a spirit- that helps load family belongings into a truck? If this is really what Majidi says aboout his film, then I feel like a Martian because i just do not see that.








Ad hoc, Ad loc, Quid pro queeee,
So little time and so much to see

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@ Film_ophile,

Well I thinks that you have misunderstood the metaphors of the shots,

I thinks what Majidi wanted to show is Lateef's dis-attachment from the material world, by his failure in love he becomes someone like monks......also note that it dose'nt means that Lateef will die or he will go on a Himalayan journey to become monk or something or never fall in love again..... I thinks that the shots were only depicting his temporal state of feeling and nothing more.....

This is what I feel about the Film...I may be wrong or right.....but I hope I am successful in explaining my point of view.




"Franz Kafka, Van Gogh, Michelangalo were unrecognized geniuses in their life. Recognise me !!"

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pawan, thank you. that is much more understandable now. Pawan, since you are so helpful, would you please look at my questions on the Baran thread below and give me your thoughts.The bigger posted interview with Majidi REALLY confused me.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0233841/board/flat/156109478

I also want to ask about the possibility/non possibility of marriage for the two. On another thread here, the last poster said that realistically,their marriage would never happen in Iran today. If that is something that Iranis and Afghanis KNOW from the beginning when they see this film, then that is very important for fully understanding the film, because I think that like me, most Westerners are holding onto the hope , during the film, that the two COULD marry and will end up together.

thanks so much for all your time.





Ad hoc, Ad loc, Quid pro queeee,
So little time and so much to see

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@ film_ophile

Hey, there is no need to thanks on the contrary I will thank you for asking questions......I have tried to answer your query on the link provided.

However I will not able to comment on the possibility/non possibility of marriage for the two, because I am an Indian and don't know much about there social system... However What I think that if both will agree to marry there can be certain objection from the society but I don't think that it is objectionable on human or legal grounds.....

Regards....

"Franz Kafka, Van Gogh, Michelangalo were unrecognized geniuses in their life. Recognise me !!"

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Thank you for your comments, they are so insightful. <3

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I think that along with Pawan's responses, Lateef is also coming to terms with the reality that Baran would be leaving, and he could do nothing to stop it.

He understands that his feelings for Baran will never materialize, but he learned to accept his situation, and let his emotions go.

Not to say that he doesn't care for Baran, or that he doesn't want to be with her, but he won't let his "failure" haunt him.

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A:- Lateef has lost everything. To see the tombs in the graveyard gives him a sense of death. The curtain that sways with the breeze is symbolically calling him to death. He hears sounds—voices of prayer or voices of the dead people—and he surrenders. In a way, he renounces Baran. He leaves his cap behind, which is an indication that he goes beyond material things and becomes a spirit.


That's quite interesting. I never saw that "mystical" side of the movie. To me it was a deeply human but fully realistic drama (as realistic as movies can be, that's it) . Quasi a neo-realist film.
But if Majidi said so, then that must be the way he wanted 'Baran' to be perceived.

Yeah, I noticed how Lateef was detaching gradually from whole his material possesions in order to help that girl who captivated him. He willingly offered the savings of all his life, and yet he didn't ask anything in return. In fact I am sure that before the end he knew already that, at most, he would obtain Baran's gratitude, (which he obtains. Baran's smile was the proof of that). But I repeat the "spiritual" aspect was not that evident to me.

One way or another, I really loved this movie as most iranians films I have seen, from the social dramas directed by Marzieh Makhmalbaf such as 'Stray Dogs' and 'The Day I Became A Woman', to the heart-wrenching 'Turtles can Fly' (Bahman Ghobadi) and of course the other works from Majidi and the works from Kiarostami. The problem is that except for Majidi and Kiarostami, here in my neck of the woods (and I assume in most western countries) is not easy to find iranian movies available on DVD or aired on TV. Sad but true.

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Torrents are the only possible solution if you wanted to be a hardcore follower of world cinema...Albeit it is unethical to use torrents, but I don't care as for me being unethical is correct than not watching them.

Regards.
"Franz Kafka, Van Gogh, Michelangalo were unrecognized geniuses in their life. Recognise me !!"

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I find many Iranian titles at the public library - including other foreign films - here in the US. I am very grateful for that resource. Otherwise, Netflix and video stores are limited.

Check out "The Secret in Their Eyes" from Argentina. Recently saw that too - excellent.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbhrz1-4hN4

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