Review of This Is Not a Film (2011) by Dickie L — 17 Oct 2011

So this isn't a film, but it has something in common with the best of Iranian cinema in that its understated simplicity is the reason its so powerful. You'd think a doco about a filmmaker who has just been sentenced to 2 years in prison and prohibited by his government to make films for 20 years would be filled with anger, but thats far from the case here.

Instead there is a gentle humour running through the wry observations and curiosities of Jafar Panahi as he in turn sits and paces around his apartment talking to his lawyer about his legal case and describing scenes from his films, in particular the film he was planning on shooting before the government stopped it and him.

Except he hasn't been stopped. This Is Not A Film was copied onto a USB stick and shipped out of Iran in a cake in order to be screened at Cannes this year. Let's hope he keeps finding ways to keeping doing what he does so well.