3 Faces

In 2010, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was forbidden to leave Iran or make any films for 20 years. 3 Faces is his fourth feature since the sentence was passed and Panahi once again plays himself on screen, this time in a supporting role. The film opens with Panahi driving a popular TV actress (Behnaz Jafari, also playing herself) into the mountain region near the Turkish border to look for a teenage girl (Marziyeh Rezaei) who was accepted into a prestigious acting institute and recorded a video plea to make her case to her parents—but may have killed herself before Jafari received the message. Jafari is determined to find out what happened and the pair meander through rural villages looking for the girl, meeting local citizens and learning a little about their culture: values, concerns, and identity as Iranian-Turkish villagers far from the cities. Yet while Panahi presents their lives with dignity, he also looks at the opportunities denied to women and the cultural prejudices that linger in remote towns, where girls are married off rather than being allowed to attend college or pursue careers. Like the films of Panahi’s fellow Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, 3 Faces is a road movie, one that explores the relationship between life and movies and uses humor as a way to highlight cultural conflict and serious issues. A winner for best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, this is a gentle and generous film that celebrates art and artists with affection and irony. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)