Cinema
Mother
مادر
Ali Hatami · 1990
Synopsis
An old woman leaves the retirement home where she lives and returns to her old house to spend her last days with her children, whom each of their own worries keeps apart. Her presence brings them together: Mohammad-Ebrahim, the eldest, Gholamreza, Mah-Monir, Mah-Talat and Jalaleddin, who hardly get along and do not spare each other barbs. Meanwhile, the mother herself serenely prepares her last journey and the ceremonies that will follow it.
Context
The film was written and directed by the author, who also designed its sets and costumes, and produced by Morteza Shayesteh for Hedayat Film; the cinematography is by Mahmoud Kalari, the music by Arsalan Kamkar. Roghieh Chehreh-Azad plays the mother, surrounded by Mohammad-Ali Keshavarz, Akbar Abdi, Farimah Farjami, Amin Tarokh and Akram Mohammadi. Shown for the first time at the eighth Fajr festival, in February 1990, it was nominated nine times there. It has been seen as an allegory of Iran and its divided children.
Who it is for
A Persian-language film of an hour and three quarters. It is worth knowing that the dialogue is written in a crafted language, between popular speech and poetry.
Prizes and reception
Three prizes at the 1990 Fajr festival, and one of the films most loved by the Iranian public, who still quote its lines.