Event

Iron Island

A fiuid-paced, thought-provoking film full of whimsy, creativity and poetic fiights of imagination, Iron Island is poignant, surreal and mythic, yet retains a documentary-like essence. The title refers to an abandoned ship in the Persian Gulf (a metaphor for current tensions in Iran) occupied by homeless families (the ignored and disaffected minorities). These resourceful and dignified but marginalized people are benevolently led by the iron-fisted Captain Nemat. This vivid, visceral allegory is the second feature film by writer/director Mohammad Rasoulof ,a student of sociology. It falls into the Makhmalbaf camp of whimsical poeticism rather than Kiarostami's austere modernism, and positively shimmers with penetrating camera work, inventiveness and attention to detail. The deceptively calm, pale green water and bright, sunlit seascape are juxtaposed against the stark, blistering corridors of the rusting ship, while its squatters eke out an everyday existence. Strange, bewitching scenes seem familiar, touching and knowing. The capricious and disorderly nature of life seen here is firmly rooted in unsentimental charm, humanity and humor. Iron Island is a sturdy, clever fable about the struggle for survival.