No Bears - 💥💥💥💥

Director: Jafar Panahi
Writer: Jafar Panahi

Release Date: 11th November 2022

Hot Rating: 💥💥💥💥

Synopsis: No Bears is a 2023 Iranian drama film directed by Jafar Panahi. The film stars Panahi himself as a fictionalized version of himself, who is banned from making films and leaving Iran. He rents a room in a small village near the Turkish border and directs a film remotely, using a video link to communicate with his cast and crew. The film follows the story of a young couple, Bakhtiar and Zara, who are trying to flee Iran together.

Review: No Bears is Jafar Panahi's self-reflexive exploration of filmmaking under constraint. Playing himself, Panahi directs a couple's story remotely as they try to escape to Europe. The film delves into modern authority, superstition, storytelling and fear with intimate personal scenarios carrying wider political resonances. So many scenes teeter between domestic and natural landscapes, that as viewers we’re constantly asked to question the relationship between those private moments and their wider societal impact. Perhaps Panahi's greatest skill here is his ability to command wit and humility throughout, and especially in those moments where tensions begin to swell into suspicion and scrutiny. Despite adversity, he questions his art with candour and depicts himself as both aloof yet profoundly humane. With remarkable storytelling, Panahi navigates complex themes with subtlety, offering a comedic yet truthful exploration of the medium. His efforts, here, highlight the indomitable spirit of artistic expression and the value of filmmaking. 

Image: YouTube