Today (2014)
When we think of Iran, films are not the first things that come to our mind. In recent times the few Iranian movies that I saw like Taxi (2015)and Night Shift (2015), though made with limited budgets, they were impressive and made me realise what I was missing. The film-makers there, are producing excellent films that showcase the socio-economic conditions in Iran very well.
Today (2014) is one such film, that was exhibited as part of the ongoing Iranian Film Festival organised by Chennai’s ICAF society. The film is about an old Taxi driver, and the unconditional kindness he shows towards a complete stranger, a pregnant lady who gets into his car.
Most of the film happens in the maternity ward of a hospital, we are transported to the place and we can even smell the hospital corridor! The two main characters, the taxi driver and the pregnant lady speak very little to anyone, they never even introduce themselves to each other or to us. Instead, we hear the doctors, the head nurse and the helpers in the hospital. There are no back-stories told about them, still, we are able to understand them, and the abuse and torture the lady should’ve gone through.
The head-nurse character impresses us with her assessment of the facts regarding the relationship between the lead two characters. This is an emotionally intense film, we leave the hall carrying with us the pain and the social stigma faced by the lady.
