This Is Not a Film

I can't say this film was my cup of tea, however my son enjoyed it thoroughly. At first the documentary seems almost pointless--a censored film maker trapped in his house, desperate to make a film of just about anything--but at the end, the purpose becomes somewhat clearer. I think this one is better suited to people who are more sophisticated about film making than I am.

So creative. An engaging look at life in Iran

What in the world did I just get myself into? This film was like a very long submission to America's Funniest Home Videos... but without the funny.The filmmakers pulled a fast one and really got paid off this films gimmick of having no gimmick. Documentarian meets Bruce Lee's 'jeet kune do' I guess... the style of no style. So all I gotta do is turn on my camera, burn some tape, and give it to Sundance with a little teaser story with it like "film was smuggled out of the city on a solid-state drive in a modified bean pie." Give me a break.I bet some pretentious artists types will have no problem seeing the "art" in this film... post-weed smoke.If you want to see a good recent main stream documentary, pick up 5 Broken Cameras or The Invisible War.It should eally be called, "This Is Not Even A Good Film".

Really not a film but an interesting documentation of a day of his life in 4-shanbe soori night. Nicely portrays his feelings and conditions in that period of time.

So your last movie went way over budget, then tanked at the box office? Think you’ve got it bad? Jafar Panahi is an Iranian director (of the wonderful “The White Balloon” and “Offside”) who’s currently serving six years in prison and a 20-year ban on filmmaking for making a movie the nation’s ministry of film didn’t approve of. No joking. But the law doesn’t say he can’t READ a screenplay on film. So before his imprisonment, Panahi invited his documentary filmmaker pal Mojtaba Mirtahmasb to his apartment in Tehran to film him reciting and acting out his latest creation. “This is not a Film” is a record of that event.It’s a noble venture, but as a filmmaker himself, Panahi quickly realizes the futility of his stunt, as he concludes, “If we can tell a film, why make a film?” then dissolves into tears. The rest of the movie, therefore, is taken up with Panahi screening parts of his older films while providing running commentary on his artistic choices, discussing everyday concerns with Mirtahmasb, and awaiting word of his fate.The movie is certainly an indictment of the repressive society in which he lives, yet it also demonstrates that film comes in many forms, and while Panahi may be unable to make the dramatic feature he would like to, it is an equally valid and valuable form of artistic expression to simply document his own real life experience for others to observe - and just as powerful in its effect.And, indeed, the most compelling scene in the movie is a completely extemporaneous one, as Panahi interviews a substitute custodian who stops by to pick up Panahi’s trash when the camera just happens to be running and we get to know a little something about this utterly charming man’s life in the few unguarded moments we get to spend with him. It’s a subtle yet potent reminder that no regime, however cowardly and repressive, can completely dim the human spirit and our basic human need to connect with one another on a personal level.The movie, which was spirited out of the country on a flash drive hidden inside a cake, functions as a frank political statement for what life is like for film artists living in Iran, but, equally important, it makes the rest of us appreciate the freedoms of expression we all too often take for granted in our own parts of the world - and the need to be ever vigilant in preserving them.

This extraordinary film has a backstory that's almost as interesting as the film (excuse me, this is NOT a film, really it isn't - because it was short using a digital camera and an iPhone - but there are other reasons). As pointed out in my fellow Amazon reviewer, Paul Allaer, the Iranian filmmaker - Jafar Panahi - was banned from making any films and this documentary was smuggled out of Iran to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. (What Allaer failed to mention is that the flash drive containing the documentary was hidden in a BIRTHDAY CAKE!).I'll leave you to read Allaer's review but clarify a few points. 1) there are two other people who appear in the "not a film" besides Panahi: his fellow documentarian Mojtapa Miratahmasb who mans the digital camera at one point and the custodian (who Allaer refers to, incorrectly, as a Jafar's friend - he is actually the brother of the normal custodian who is filling in, and apparently Panahi has never met.) and 2) though we hear explosions early in the "not a film", which could be gunfire, the explosions in the last section with the custodian are, in fact, fireworks (which, by the way, the Iranian government banned). These are not major points but I wanted to clarify.The 75-minute "not a film" will draw you in in its simplicity. Panahi is a well-known Iranian filmmaker who the government has put on trial. Throughout the "not a film" he is awaiting his sentence which carried a minimum of 6 years in prison. But he wants to tell his story. About an hour into the film Mirtahmasb says "It's important that the camera stays on", and this - for me was the key to why the "not A film" is important. We cannot let a government determine what a filmmaker can say about politics.The DVD will be released on March 12th and comes with a few bonus features. (more in a minute). It is in Iranian with English subtitles. If there is one caveat I will make for those watching the film on a standard definition TV, it is that this is another recent case where the English subtitles are in white print directly on the screen image and not very large. The size is not the issue but there are quite a few scenes where background is white (Panahi is wearing a WHITE shirt) and the subtitles are quite hard to read. I have to say that even on my 27in standard format TV, I missed about 5% of the dialogue (but I could still follow the story). Other recent foreign films I've reviewed recently have subtitles in green or the words are placed below the image, making it easy to read.The bonus features include a commentary track - which I did not listen to) and a 10 minute except from a 2008 interview with Panahi - which I found interesting. Ironically, the subtitles for the interview are in a larger font and in bright YELLOW!I also forgot to mention another unique aspect of this "not a fil". It has the shortest "credits" of any release I can remember. That's because Panahi - self-censored the "credits" so alll that is there is "*******", "******" and "*****"I highly recommend this "not a film" to anyone interested in world politics or how to make a documentary film when making ANY kind of film is illegal.I hope you found this review both informative and helpful.Steve Ramm"Anything Phonographic"

This film is actually quite moving but at the same time not very interesting to watch. Yes it is terribly sad the way Jafar Panahi has been treated by the Iranian authorities and this is a clear example of the kind of terrible human rights abuses that occur both in Iran and around the world.Jafar spends the film acting like a caged animal prowling around his flat imprisoned by the authorities and unable to do what he loves. He is reduced to reading out the script to his latest film because he has been banned from making it. Sad but true.

All in order, the product was received quickly and in order. I am very satisfied with it. I advise to watch this film, btw.