This strange, poetic documentary sets out to discover the whereabouts of legendary Iranian painter/visual artist-turned-expat/recluse Bahman Mohassess, a once-prominent art star in Iran who allegedly quit working as an artist after the 1979 revolution, and even destroyed most of his work. Young filmmaker Mitra Farahani heads for Rome looking for Mohassess, who has allegedly been living in Italy for years. Although Farahani doesn't divulge exactly how she found him, she is able to get Mohassess to open up on camera. As it turns out, Mohassess's still-extant works of art continue to sell at auction for hundreds of thousands of euros. Mohassess is a congenial and eloquent interviewee, if also predictably scathing and bitter when speaking of the current art world and global politics in general. But the dramatic tension ramps up beyond simple Q&A when two wealthy Iranian artists and art collectors visit Mohassess to discuss a potential €150,000 deal to create an original work—for the first time in decades—with the assumption that it would be the masterpiece of a lifetime. But Mohassess is almost 80 and not in the best of health; once the ball gets rolling on this final project, the question naturally arises as to whether this grand old creative genius will be up to the task of pulling off a colossal career apotheosis. A fascinating portrait of the artist, this is highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include the 1967 documentary short on film subject Bahman Mohasses “The Eye That Hears” by Ahmad Faroughi (19 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an intriguing documentary.] (M. Sandlin)
Fifi Howls With Happiness
Music Box, 102 min., in Farsi w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95, Dec. 2 Volume 30, Issue 1
Fifi Howls With Happiness
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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