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The Subversive Aesthetics of Self-Reflexive Cinema
Abstract
This paper examines the aesthetics of cinematic expression in Iranian post-revolutionary film and its relation to a subversive language that challenges and criticizes the ideological fabric of the Islamic state in self-reflexive works of post-revolutionary Iranian filmmakers. In the works of celebrated filmmakers such as Kiarostami, Makhmalbaf, Milani, Bani-Etemad and Panahi, we witness the creation of movies where the urge to narrate a personal story elucidates the representation of a collective injustice. For instance, in the course of the documentary, In Yek film nist (This is not a film)(2010) , Panahi re-tells the horrific story of the events that led to his political arrest in the aftermath of the Green movement, where law enforcement imprisoned his entire film crew, and confiscated his film’s footage. In response to this personal- but historical- incident, Panahi creates a documentary that is a stylistic wonder, in its content as well as its self-reflexive style, where he utilizes three different media (a hand-held, a cell phone and a semi-professional camera) to document the filmmaker’s harrowing narrative of the raid. But the film’s underlying narrative constitutes a certain degree of political intrepidity, as we learn that Panahi films this time in defiance of a twenty year ban imposed upon him. In the midst of legal consternations, Panahi’s footage, its meticulous editing, and its contested content constitute a degree of subversive language and action. Most of his earlier movies, such as The White Balloon (1995), The Mirror (1997), The Circle (2000), Crimson Gold(2003), Offside (2006), also dealt with issues related to social malaise and the failure of a political and social culture. Panahi’s stark critique of Iranian social ills, however, resonates strongly when framed within a personal narrative in "In Yek film Nist." By offering similar examples in other post-revolutionary Iranian cinema, this paper will examine the social and political aesthetics of a subversive, self-reflexive cinema in Iran today.
Discipline
Media Arts
Geographic Area
Iran
Sub Area
19th-21st Centuries