TEHROUN

I really like Iranian films, and once upon a time MIFF used to have a sidebar just for films from Iran.  Sadly this is no longer the case, so when I notice an Iranian film in the guide, I immediately mark it.  They usually have very simple stories that are well shot and a dramatically powerful.  “Tehroun” stays true to this formula, but there are parts of this film that are very western in their storytelling techniques and unlike anything I had previously seen in an Iranian film.   

The film is about a guy, Ibrahim, who has rented a baby(!) off of a gangster to create more sympathy when he goes out to beg.  One day while doing a legit gardening job, he entrusts the baby with his friend who ultimately gets conned by a hooker who steals the baby with the intent of selling it on the black market.  When the gangster learns that his baby has gone missing, he demands that Ibrahim must pay for the child as well as the debt he already owes.  Being stuck in an impossible situation, Ibrahim ends up joining with a group of armed thieves in an attempt to pay his debt back, however when he learns that the gangster has involved his wife, convincing her that she was helping with her husband’s debt, he snaps and goes out for revenge instead.  

The fact that the film has strong thriller elements is unique in Iranian cinema (at least what I have seen) and there was a brilliant use of flashback at the end revealing the fate of the stolen baby which just adds a whole other layer to the situation Ibrahim is in.  Overall this is a great Iranian film exploring the dark side of Tehran (which the locals call Tehroun, thus the title).

4 Stars - Viewed during the 2010 Melbourne International Film Festival