His 2002
film Ten (Dah) is shot entirely in and within the confines of a car with
(mostly) stationary cameras and limited angles. This type of personal
restriction has been done in cinema with Hitchcock’s brilliant Rope in
which he would film in one take (though he did cheat a little), or more recently,
the outstanding Locke with Tom Hardy who is for the most part seen driving in
a car and talking on the phone or even the French sci-fic movie Oxygen in
which the majority of the film is French actress Mélanie Laurent lying down in
a cryogenic chamber communicating with her AI assistant and the local police!
The latter
movies are in fact action films that somehow despite their apparent limitations
in space make the most out of the confinement to create suspense and tension and this underscores not
only confidence but also skill and expertise vis-à-vis the art of filmmaking. I still
wonder how they managed to pull it off because, by all accounts and purposes, it
should have turned out to be as eventful as watching paint dry. Then again, I
am also aware of movies shot with massive budgets that are simply a bore and a
snooze fest all in one.
Nonetheless,
Kiarostami’s film has no action to speak of and his purpose here is not to
entertain or dazzle but rather to move and awaken us to social conditions in his country while
also pondering about and reevaluating our own lives wherever we may be living
and however privileged or unprivileged we may consider ourselves to be. At the
same time, the film Ten exposes politics and questionable policies as well as
social inequality and injustice in his native country and in many ways, the
filmmaker foresaw, if not predicted, the current movement initiated and led by
brave women who have suffered (more than enough) from the current system and
are now demanding and clamoring for equal rights and a more just and equitable society.
Despite the
film’s voluntary restrictions in terms of the scope and canvas of its narrative
and filmmaking technique, it provides a wide panorama not merely of Iranian
society but also delves into philosophical quandaries around questions on love,
marriage, fidelity, and gender differences. In other words, Kiarostami is not
solely focused on and does not limit himself to politics, but he wants to spark
a light within our consciousness to let us re-think how we live our lives and
how we view our relationships as spouses and parents, and what we consider and (mis)take for our priorities in life, for better or for worse.
As
mentioned earlier, there is no action to speak of but there is an abundance of
colorful and well-drawn characters. It is akin to drawing a detailed vibrant
painting with only a few crayons at hand. The whole film is set in a car that
is for the most part in motion, an apt symbol for both restlessness as well as
a potential for movement and change, and the driver and driving force is an
unnamed but fiery and spirited woman. Her pre-adolescent son considers her a
bad and selfish mother because she lectures him constantly, does not listen to
him, and fails to consider his needs, and, most of all, he resents her getting re-married after the divorce from his biological father.
Later, this
same woman gives rides to various other people, ranging from friends and family
members to strangers that include an old religious woman as well as a working
prostitute. The accusations of her son may be correct as we can see in her interactions,
but we can also note a free-spirited curious open-minded woman who accepts
everyone and wants to understand others to better understand herself. She is
also not afraid of lying in court to get a divorce by falsely accusing her
ex-husband of being a junkie. Yet she justifies herself to her son by
underscoring the inequalities that exist in the judicial system around rights
for women and that she would not have been granted a divorce otherwise.
Daily
frustrations and suffering of women are highlighted through various
interactions in the car. The old pious selfless woman has very little to her
name and she spends all her time constantly praying for others and wishing them
well. On the other hand, a young mild-mannered woman who has her hopes up for a man to propose to
her only sees that dream shattered to pieces and realizes that her prayers have
remained unanswered. As a result, she shaves her head, which can be interpreted as a resignation but at the same time as a sign of revolt. Yet, the
driver insists that she looks good and that the new haircut suits her.
The most
rebellious and provocative character of them all is the prostitute. She
questions the idea of love and even matrimony. She says that married men have
sex with her and then receive phone calls from their wives and how these husbands lie to
them about being in the office while shamelessly adding that they love them.
Why should women restrict themselves to a single man when men do not do so
themselves? The prostitute exposes this double standard that exists in various
societies around the world and she also deplores and decries the overall lack
of female pleasure and stimulation.
In all
these depictions, Kiarostami not only draws his characters very well and
life-like, but he has enormous sympathy and empathy for them. These people feel
real because they are not flawless themselves. Ten begins with the son
and ends with him and even though it is about women, the film is essentially
framed around this sad and confused boy. I believe that the boy’s view is an
important one to consider here but it is also a plight that is often
underrepresented and ignored in societies around the world, namely the effects and consequences that adult actions and decisions have on children and more
specifically one’s own sons and daughters.
Many
considerations come into play, and happiness alongside love is a many-splendored thing with many necessary building blocks, and it is not merely a black-or-white issue nor is
it a simple process. Kiarostami understands this, has empathy for all these
struggling and yearning characters, and gives us glimpses into human nature with
their universal pain, suffering, and frustrations regardless of social class
and position. The prostitute herself had been jilted in her younger years, and
she has given up any hope for a family and for children and lets the driver
know that she has undergone various abortions. Although she plays the role of a
strong independent woman, deep down she is also looking for love and affection
like all the other women in this film.
It is
impressive and often overlooked or downplayed how these women manage and work around the number
of limitations and restrictions within their lives that are deeply embedded in
the codes of conduct and the discriminating laws of their society. Despite it
all, they not only make ends meet but they make the best and most out of it all
through their creativity, spirit, inventiveness, and resourcefulness. And they
have done so for various decades, if not longer.
However, that
should not be and should not remain the status quo. For these questions to be
dealt with and addressed, they need a society that is just and fair to all its
citizens and that does not discriminate against them. Here we can see the failings
of a society that not only overlooks the needs and desires of large swaths of
its denizens but actually squashes and tramples them and in the words of the
early feminist Sarah Moore Grimké that they ought to take their feet from off women's necks. We see this social movement asking
for change, and it is not merely about veils and dress codes around hiding hair
but goes much deeper and further than that.
In fact,
and perhaps more than ever in today’s world, medieval as well as authoritarian systems
will have to face resistance as they do not respect or represent the rights and will of their
people. And in this case, it is not merely about making the best out of what you
got but asking for immediate and much-needed changes in the
fabric of repressive and oppressive societies and political systems everywhere across the world.
