20 Fingers - Mania Akbari

un film parlato, una coppia negli anni, in diversi momenti, discute di come si vive e convive, lui è il prodotto di una società maschilista, nella quale le donne contano poco, e devono stare al loro posto, lei è una che non cede, testarda e convinta.
i due attori sono così bravi che il film può sembrare un documentario, di sicuro un documento prezioso.
un film da non perdere - Ismaele




Un film in cui la discussione è l'apparente movimento in una realtà ferma, il sofferto sfogo di un'evoluzione culturale destinata a rimanere una teoria imprigionata nella mente. L'emancipazione femminile nell'Iran post-khomeinista è come il desiderio di un ritorno ad una libertà intravista nel passato, e soffocata dalla restaurazione dei dogmi fondamentalisti. La verginità, l'aborto, la fedeltà coniugale ed il divorzio sono i capisaldi tematici entro cui si misura la condizione della donna che, al di là delle sfumature e dei cenni di apertura verso la modernità, appare così definita unicamente sulla base del suo rapporto con l'uomo. La "trasgressione" è, nelle parole della protagonista Mania, un'ipotesi provocatoria lanciata contro gli ottusi schematismi della tradizione; un'indagine sperimentale per sondare i limiti del suo territorio, ed un affondo intelligente e raffinato per rivendicare il suo diritto a "poter essere".

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Gender relations is in centre of this Iranian episode film. Director Mania Akbari and producer Bijan Daneshmand play the leading roles themselves in the film's seven different episodes, all in which gender roles, abortion, infidelity and jealousy are central subjects. Through these, fundamental struggles emerge _ such as those between modernity and tradition, liberalism and conservatism. 20 Fingers is shot with digital camera and most of the scenes are filmed from only one angle. The lack of subordinate characters and the frequent use of close-ups make the dialogue and the play of the characters' features central. Through precise ,dialogue, the viewer gets to know the people in the film. The story is naturalistic in design, with a poetic touch, and gives an insight into daily Iranian life. The action mainly takes place in or on moving vehicles, which captures the characters' physical, but foremost psychological, journey. ERIK LAQUIST

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Writer/director Mania Akbari dedicates this film to Abbas Kiarostami, and with good reason.  Her first gig was as an actress in Ten a couple years prior, and you can see the influence.  Seven one-shot conversations between a man (Bijan Daneshmand) and a woman (Akbari).  As in many Kiarostami films (especially Ten), most of the discussions occur in moving vehicles: cars, a ski lift, a boat.  And although it would have been chronologically impossible for it to have been an influence, it reminded of Certified Copy in that we don’t know if these seven couples are the same couple every time.

I should think not, or rather that it doesn’t really matter, because Akbari is commenting on universal problems for women in Iran.  The discussions largely center around the gap in freedoms between men and women, not necessarily in their laws but in how they perceive gender roles.  The man is sometimes boorish to the level of horror (as in the first segment when he tests the woman’s virginity) but even when he appears pleasant, there are undertones in his demeanor that suggest there are different rules for different sexes.  Around every corner, he sees threats to his dominance over the woman.  Her attempts to assert her freedoms fall on deaf, resistant ears.

The motion seems to be proportional to the emotional content of the conversation.  The only stationary scene is a relatively sedate talk in a restaurant and how each would behave if they could change their genders.  But while riding on a motorcycle, they discuss abortion (surprisingly frank for an Iranian film, lesbianism is covered as well), and in the penultimate scene, a train is the setting for a confrontation that becomes explosive.

The digital video is a bit rough, but contributes to the immediate, natural documentary feel of the movie.  The two performances are generally excellent but once in a while feel a bit stagey, which might be mostly due to dialogue that’s occasionally a bit too pointed.  But the film is really very interesting, a revealing viewpoint on contemporary Iranian feminist issues.  Rating: Very Good (83)

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