Crimson Gold

Year: 2003

Grade: B-

Country: Iran

Director: Panahi

Review

another slowly paced iranian film written by abbas kiarostami (taste of cherry, the wind will carry us), and that’s not a bad thing. the film starts at the end, with a bank robbery, and shows all the events leading up to the final event. like affliction, it’s another film about one man’s descent into hopelessness and rage. even knowing how the film ends i was surprised by the time it came around. somehow the film was unable to sell me on the protagonist’s final mental state. i saw, and empathized with, his feelings of injustice and inequity, but i never felt that he demonstrated the level of desperation needed to do what he did. one bonus of the film is that we get a good look at iranian society and culture. the text of the film is clearly one that is critical of the inequalities of iranian society.