A Time for Drunken Horses
1/4
Starring: Ayoub Ahmadi, Rojin Younessi, Amaneh Ekhtiar-dini, Madi Ekhtiar-dini
Not Rated (Probably PG for Thematic Material)
It was about the time that "A Time for Drunken Horses" was released (2000) that I first started getting into movies. I can't remember why I wanted to see it, although I distinctly remember my local paper giving it either a 3.5/4 or a 4/4 (I think it was the latter). Still, I knew nothing about it. It has taken until tonight for me to be able to see it. It wasn't worth the wait.
After their father died, young Ayoub (Ahmadi) must get a job and take care of his siblings, including his crippled brother Madi (Madi Edhtiar-dini), who will die if he doesn't get constant doses of medication. But the medication is failing, and unless Madi gets an operation in Iraq he will die (and an operation will only extend his life for 7 or 8 months). Not only is the operation expensive, but the journey is dangerous.
The problem here is not the acting (all the actors, none of whom are professionals, do their jobs admirably) or the story. Or even the pacing (slow movies like this have their place...anyone remember "A Separation"?). The problem is that there's little story and no character development. As a result, it's impossible to care about what happens to the characters. Only during the final scene was I engaged.
To its credit, the film does two things right. First, the cinematography by Saed Nikzat (this was his first film), is great. The film takes place in the mountains of the Middle East, and it's a cold, bleak place. It's gorgeous, but unrelenting. Second, the film gives insight into what life is like in this kind of an environment. It's not pretty, but the verisimilitude is astounding. Sadly, neither one of these qualities make it worth sitting through the tedium that is "A Time for Drunken Horses." And the ending is kind of a cheat, too.
Starring: Ayoub Ahmadi, Rojin Younessi, Amaneh Ekhtiar-dini, Madi Ekhtiar-dini
Not Rated (Probably PG for Thematic Material)
It was about the time that "A Time for Drunken Horses" was released (2000) that I first started getting into movies. I can't remember why I wanted to see it, although I distinctly remember my local paper giving it either a 3.5/4 or a 4/4 (I think it was the latter). Still, I knew nothing about it. It has taken until tonight for me to be able to see it. It wasn't worth the wait.
After their father died, young Ayoub (Ahmadi) must get a job and take care of his siblings, including his crippled brother Madi (Madi Edhtiar-dini), who will die if he doesn't get constant doses of medication. But the medication is failing, and unless Madi gets an operation in Iraq he will die (and an operation will only extend his life for 7 or 8 months). Not only is the operation expensive, but the journey is dangerous.
The problem here is not the acting (all the actors, none of whom are professionals, do their jobs admirably) or the story. Or even the pacing (slow movies like this have their place...anyone remember "A Separation"?). The problem is that there's little story and no character development. As a result, it's impossible to care about what happens to the characters. Only during the final scene was I engaged.
To its credit, the film does two things right. First, the cinematography by Saed Nikzat (this was his first film), is great. The film takes place in the mountains of the Middle East, and it's a cold, bleak place. It's gorgeous, but unrelenting. Second, the film gives insight into what life is like in this kind of an environment. It's not pretty, but the verisimilitude is astounding. Sadly, neither one of these qualities make it worth sitting through the tedium that is "A Time for Drunken Horses." And the ending is kind of a cheat, too.
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