"Scorching Summer" is one of the shortlisted films for the "Temple of Heaven Award" in the main competition unit of this year's Beijing International Film Festival, and like Iranian films such as "Little Shoes" as we know it, it is also a film that pays attention to Iranian social issues. But this time director Eporasim? Irajad focuses on ordinary families and women in Iran, showing us the struggle and strength of women in the context of Iran's patriarchal society.
Nasrin has a 6-year-old daughter and an unproductive husband, and her life is getting more and more difficult, and she is desperate to stay away from her husband and work in the nursery despite her family's persuasion. Because of this job, Nasrin crossed paths with another mother, Alyjani. The two mothers in the film are already in a very difficult situation, and neither of them thinks that a seemingly doomed accident will take the life of Alyjani's 3-year-old son, and shroud their lives in a more gray and desperate situation.
As can be seen from the film, the two families have common problems. Under the strong patriarchal ideology, within the family, men are inert and indifferent to the family and children; outside, they want to solve the family's economic difficulties by themselves, so that they cannot make ends meet. The weak position of women makes it impossible to balance children and work, so when both parents ignore their children, tragedy occurs. In fact, not only Iran, as long as it is a family with too much patriarchal thinking, these problems will occur, and we can feel the film's indictment of patriarchy and sympathy for vulnerable women.
Neither Nasrin nor Arietani's life is satisfactory, but the atmosphere of the whole film is not overly depressing, and the struggle of the two mothers always gives people a glimmer of hope. Like most families, in order to improve the family's financial situation, they have a strong desire to work, Alyjani said to her husband: "I want to work, but why don't you understand?" "This is not only a question for the husband, but also a question for iran's patriarchal society." The same women, like most mothers, work while caring for their children, only because they are in such a patriarchal society, they are under social pressure and live much harder than women in other countries. But they are not crushed by life, but work harder and stronger, exuding a unique female light.
There is always a plane on the roof of Nasrin's house, and from the beginning of the film to the fall of Alijani's son, the plane is like a feather in "Forrest Gump", foreshadowing the fate of the characters in the film. Zorry looked up at the plane and said, "If one of them accidentally crashes, it will ruin an entire family." Nasrin said don't worry, there will be no accidents. However, the plane is like the social environment in which they live, hanging over life, and the danger is not far away from them, but women like Nasrin are still optimistic and strong.
The calm before the waves always foreshadows what is going to happen. Before the body of the little boy fell from the building was found, the picture stayed in the kitchen for 2 minutes and 6 seconds, from the time the little girl appeared and left, to The way Nasrin picked up the clothes basket on the balcony, this shot did not move, intriguing.
In order to show us the relationship status between the characters and emphasize authenticity, the film uses a lot of natural and allegorical long shots. When Arietni and her husband argue in the car and on the balcony, the confined space combined with the use of long lenses gives us a perspective on their lives and a sense of the tension of the problems they face. When Nasrin and her husband negotiate with the police about the boy's disappearance, the husband and the police are in the front of the narrow alley, and Arietani enters the painting from the right side, looking at the distance and not daring to come forward, and the status of husband and wife under the patriarchal society is clear at a glance.
At the same time, in terms of sound, this film also always emphasizes a sense of reality for us, there is little soundtrack, and the various noises in life are greatly restored, and the roar of airplanes, car whistles, etc., let us be immersed in the scene. Most of the soundtracks in the film are related to the death of the boy, and when he accidentally falls off the building, the first soundtrack of the film appears to create a sense of sadness, and the use of crying here forms a clever transition, natural and smooth.
"Scorching Summer" is a film that reflects the social problems of Iran, shows the light of Iranian women, and is a film that inspires vulnerable women under patriarchy. This film establishes the image of two strong women for us, their love for their children, their enthusiasm for work, and their pursuit and attitude towards life, which allows us to see a lot of hope in life and gives more strength to vulnerable female groups.