| Azadeh Zanganeh, Maryam Keyhan , Mohsen
Makhmalbaf
This Iranian docudrama from filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf is a loving
tribute to the centennial of international cinema. The film, which
frequently criss-crosses the fine wavering line between reality
and fiction, is set outside a house where the director is holding
auditions for his newest film. Much to his shock, over 5,000 people
are queued up outside. Eventually a riot ensues, but when things
finally calm down, the auditions begin. Few of the applicants are
professionals, and it is difficult to tell whether the interviews
were staged by Makhmalbaf or whether they are taken from actual
auditions. Still they are as entertaining, funny, and heartbreaking
as cinema itself can be. |