Shahab Mihandoust’s portrait of the fishing industry in Iran’s Khuzestan province is a stunner. A three part tale the film follows what happens on the boats, on the wharf where they doc ans in the processing lpant where the fish ends up.
This film is a visual and audio stunner. I described the film as one of the most "you are there" films I've ever run across. Mihandoust’s puts us in the thick of things, do so in a way that doesn't make us just an observer but a participant.
As for the audio, it's as environmentally perfect as they come. What makes the film so special is that we don't have the absolute pinpoint perfection of most films, you know where every sound is perfectly placed and so it creates an unreal world. Here instead is soundtrack that puts us in a place. I mention this because when I asked about getting access to the film I received an email from Mr. Mihandoust who told me if I did not see the film in a cinema I absolutely must wear headphones. He was dead on right. Never have I ever experienced a place via audio quite like this. I actually replayed several sections of the film just so I could close my eyes and really take in the sound. This needs to be in the Oscar race for best sound design.
Technical achievements aside the film is magnificent. If documentaries are supposed to show us things we never knew, this film does it in spades. Sure I've seen films, both documentary and narrative on fishing, but never have I understood how it all fits together. Additionally this is a film that really puts s into the lives of everyone on screen.
This is one of the best films at this year's New Director's New Films and one of the most amazing films I've seen in 2024.
Go see this big and loud and be amazed.
No comments:
Post a Comment