It's Winter (Zemestan)

Iranian cimena is very highly thought of by critics at the moment, with films such as The Apple (Sib) and Blackboards (Takhte Siah), both by Samira Makhmalbaf, and A Time For Drunken Horses (Zamani Baraye Masti Asbha) scoring highly with critics. This is my first forage into Iranian cinema and it has certainly whetted my appetite for more.

However, it has its flaws. This is a very pensive, thoughtful, film but, even so, it takes a little long to get going and some characters, most notably the little girl (credited only, as far as I can tell, as "Little Girl", which says it all, her name is unmentioned throughout the film), are poorly developed. Even so, the smile she beams out when presented with a gift stays with you throughout the film. It's also too short and I wanted to know more, though the ending hits the perfect emotional note of reflective poignancy.

The film is held together by an excellent performance by Ali Nicksalut, who invests his character Marhab, an intinerant machanic, with a number of dimensions. It's a subtle, nuanced, performance and Marhab comes alive on screen as a highly complex individual with many layers to his character. It's a shame the running time doesn't allow him to develop further. Said Orkani is dependable as Marhab's friend, who perhaps doesn't understand his friend as well as he might think, but Mitra Hajjar is underused as the equally underdeveloped Khatoun, who's suffering is paramount.

Whilst not in the top rung of 2006 films, this isn't far away and I have no hesitation in recommending it to those who like their slow-burners and films with a number of underlying messages you might have to dig a little deeper to uncover. But it's certainly worth the effort.

B+