GABBEH Movie Review

At the center of Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf's exquisitely told tale of unrequited love is a nomadic world in which an ancient form of rug-weaving results in the precious gabbeh—a carpet in which is woven the images of timeless tales and legends. Makhmalbaf has extended the folk art tradition that produced the gabbeh itself to the filmmaking process, fashioning a kaleidoscopic love story out of brightly colored images of varying textures and tones. With a visual boldness that recalls the works of Sergei Parajanov and Andrei Tarkovsky, Makhmalbaf presents us with startling, enchanting moments; a teacher points to the sky to indicate the color of sunlight, and when his hand next appears it is golden. The sound of cascading water seems to spring from the deep blues of the gabbeh, as the two lonely characters woven into it speak of a heartache that seems as timeless as the weaver's art. Haunting and unforgettable as it shifts between legend, dream, and reality, Gabbeh is one of the many extraordinarily delicate and poetic works of art to emerge from the new, rich cinematic tradition of Iran.

NEXT STOP… Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, Andrei Rublev, The White Balloon

1996 75m/C Shaghayeh Djodat, Hossein Moharami, Rogheih Moharami, Abbas Sayah; D: Mohsen Makhmalbaf; W: Mohsen Makhmalbaf; C: Mahmoud Kalari; M: Hossein Alizadeh.NYR