Shahab Fotouhi’s Venice Premiere ‘Boomerang’ Proves ‘Personal Is Political’ as Iranian Film Debuts Clip (EXCLUSIVE)
Iranian artist and filmmaker Shahab Fotouhi’s “Boomerang” has debuted an exclusive clip (below) following the film’s world premiere in Venice Days, an independent sidebar to the Venice Film Festival.
In his tender drama, set in Tehran, old relationships break – like Sima’s marriage to Behzad – and new ones begin. Sometimes, by complete chance.
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As Sima starts looking for a new home for herself and her daughter Minoo, her soon-to-be ex meets up with his former flame. He’s also looking for a rare species of owl, living somewhere outside the city. But teenage Minoo is busy as well: she meets a boy.
“Minoo and Keyvan first make eye contact at a traffic light and quickly form a bond without exchanging a word. As they walk through the city and flirt, ‘Boomerang’ captures a sense of lightness and fluidity reminiscent of the French New Wave,” said the director.
“Behzad’s interactions with other adults are more fragmented and calculated, yet they are still infused with sweetness, humor and playfulness. Even his intense conversation with Sima in the dark concludes on a lighter note, leaving them with the lingering taste of quince jam.”
Produced by Luise Hauschild and Mariam Shatberashvili for New Matter Films and co-produced by Rainy Pictures and Zohal Films, “Boomerang” – sold by Cercamon – puts emotions first.
“As well as ways of thinking and arguing, tones, gestures and attitudes of the characters. Like myself, they belong to the middle class, a [part of the society] that Iranian cinema has often overlooked,” explained Fotouhi.
“Sometimes, Iranian cinema adopts a form of realism that attempts to represent lower classes by claiming ‘social responsibility.’ I take issue with making films about something. It implies that something can be put under a microscope and examined. This hierarchical approach is precisely the opposite of what this kind of realism purports to achieve.”
Instead, he allowed himself more freedom, also when collaborating with the cast, which includes Arash Naimian, Yas Farkhondeh, Leili Rashidi, Ali Hanafian and Shaghayegh Jodat. But whenever Iran’s mentioned, there’s no escaping politics.
“Every work of art contains its own politics, though these are not always overt or explicit. Politics influence even the most private and intimate aspects of our lives. Personal is political,” observed Fotouhi, making his feature debut. Still, despite everything that’s thrown at them, despite disappointments, his protagonists “gradually find their own voices.”
“It was only towards the end of writing the script when I realized that Behzad initiates but doesn’t finish conversations with any female characters in the film. He plays a supporting role rather than a leading one, which is likely a reflection of the current socio-political conditions in Iran and the prominent role women play in it,” he said, mentioning the film’s “sandwich scene.”
“It was inspired by a similar one in Kiarostami’s ‘The Report,’” he stated.
“We encounter a group of men from a different social class than the film’s main characters. They discuss the state of the economy, the dilemma of leaving the country or staying, they blame each other for their miseries. The relationships between these strangers in a sandwich shop add a different flavor to the film.”
That being said, these discussions lead nowhere.
“Only the arrival of young girls promises the beginning of a new era.”
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