This starkly realistic, clandestinely-made, Iranian quasi-thriller from long-respected director Mohammed Rasoulof (who is officially banned from making films) takes an unflinching look at the intolerance of free expression in his country. Manuscripts Don't Burn centers on two hit men (no cast or crew members are listed in the credits, aside from Rasoulof) who make their living by harassing, torturing, and often killing particularly outspoken writers or artists whom their cold, calculating boss would like to see silenced. This is not your typical Westernized action fare—with violence steadily increasing to reach a bloody climactic crescendo—but a more subtle and original approach, placing more emphasis on the everyday lives of people under repressive theocratic regimes and exploring how easily violence, politics, religion, and family life can all become tragically interwoven in sinister form in modern-day Iran. The killings here were actually based on a spate of anti-dissident violence that transpired in Iran in the 1980s. Manuscripts Don't Burn is a thinking person's action thriller: with suggestion and interior drama taking precedence over explosions and jarring plot twists and turns. And Rasoulof coolly delivers judgment not on his hapless main characters but rather on the repressive society in which they are forced to function. Highly recommended. (M. Sandlin)
Manuscripts Don't Burn
Kino Lorber, 126 min., in Persian w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95, Nov. 25 Volume 30, Issue 1
Manuscripts Don't Burn
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