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Downpour (PG*)

Other Modernisms, Other Futures

A still from Downpour

Immensely stylistic, with a playful sense of humour, this Iranian rom-com is a landmark of the Iranian New Wave.

Beginning a new job in a poor, conservative neighbourhood of Tehran, schoolteacher Mr Hekmati meets Atefeh, the elder sister of one of his pupils. A tentative romance develops between them. But almost before they recognise their own feelings, gossip about the two has begun to spread, reaching the ears of her pre-existing suitor – a thuggish local butcher.

In the late 1960s, Iranian audiences and filmmakers were hungry for an alternative to Hollywood imports and Iran’s own home-grown commercial genre cinema. With its contemporary, true-to-life subject, working-class protagonists, veiled social critique, and combined native and Western expressive styles, Downpour is typical of the new counter-cinema that emerged. 
 

Tagged with: Cinema Other Modernisms

Iran 1972 Dir Bahram Beyzaie 128 min Digital presentation

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