Shirin Review

Shirin
113 actresses sit watching an adaptation of a 12-century Persian fable.

by David Parkinson |
Published on
Release Date:

26 Jun 2009

Running Time:

94 minutes

Certificate:

TBC

Original Title:

Shirin

A masterly variation on the 1920s Kuleshov experiment that demonstrated filmic meaning’s heavy dependence upon context. Thus, the action consists of an audience supposedly watching a movie adaptation of a 12th-century Persian fable. But the storyline is an irrelevance, especially as the 113 actresses were reacting to emotive directions while following three dots on a blank surface.

What matters here is the art of screen acting, the perceptiveness of the camera and the power of cinema to manipulate. Moreover, Kiarostami confounds the fundamentalists by celebrating the expressive beauty of the female face in evocative close-ups.

As a powerful artistic experiment and an exploration of the the power of the close-up and subtle acting this is near perfect,
Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us