The Wind Will Carry Us (Bad ma ra khahad bord)
Retrospective of a Cinematic Master
/ Feature Narrative / Iran / 1999 / Colour
In Persian / Arabic, English subtitles
No Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
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Synopsis
For the gently comedic ‘The Wind Will Carry Us’, Kiarostami drastically increases his use of one of the storytelling methods that will become the hallmark of the films that follow it. The story on the film’s surface is not really the point of the project – instead, we are affected by what is on the periphery of the narrative.
Some men from Tehran arrive in a remote Iranian village. It is unclear at first why they have come – they tell the villagers they are searching for treasure – but it turns out they are journalists hoping to document traditional funeral rites that are sure to occur soon, as a very old villager seems to be on her deathbed.
While the journalists await this morbid event, the film shows us the goings-on in the village. Particularly charming is the friendship the central journalist stikes up with a young boy, who becomes his guide to the local culture. Houses all seem built one on top of the next; there is much clambering up and down stairs and ladders as the villagers bring each other food, borrow milk or get together to gossip.
The rural setting provides a counterpoint with the more urban lifestyle of the journalist; hilariously, every time his cellphone rings, he has to get in his car and drive up the hill to get clear reception. It is Kiarostami’s skill at capturing the ambience surrounding the story that makes this film a quietly pleasing triumph.