Ten

Renowned Iranian director-writer Abbas Kiarostami (Taste of Cherry, The Wind Will Carry Us) has created a truly simple and exceptional film, consisting of only two camera angles, long takes, zero camera movement and (most likely) entirely improvised dialogue (in Farsi) from relatively unknown actors, all shot on digital video. This film lies somewhere between documentary, fiction, and Dogme cinema and it does an excellent job of compelling the viewer, all while keeping its true technique a mystery.

The film follows ten separate conversations between the female divorcee protagonist/driver and her passengers (friends, family, and clients) as she drives them around Tehran. At first seemingly arbitrary, these conversations begin to breath life into the film, as well as provide an astute social commentary about life in modern-day Iran in the context of politics, religion, the economy, sex, and gender.

As an interesting side-note, Ten basically uses an all female cast, except for the woman's son who appears in four of the ten segments (although the last segment is just a rehash of the sixth segment). Still, he's just a boy (bad Sling Blade/Britney Spears joke), not yet a man, as he candidly puts it. He also goes on to say that, as a boy, he has no rights and is not yet his own property, until he becomes a man, that is. It's also interetsing that the isolated car interior setting and female driver give the women the opportunity to be themselves and not feel repressed, as they are in their daily public lives.

We meet up with a giggly, intoxicated prostitute, an old religious fanatic on her way to temple for the third time that day, a despairing woman who has just broken up with her boyfriend, a sibling who can't stop smiling to herself (she comes close to breaking the documentary feel), among several other strangers. All ten (well, nine, really) stories are terrific and the sum of them is even greater than the individual parts.

Zeitgeist's DVD offers us the original full frame transfer which looks superbly crisp and clean all around. That's DV for you and it definitely works in a film like this. Audio comes in 2-Channel Dolby Digital with non-removable English subtitles. Sound is also perfect considering how the film was made. Nothing but praise on the a/v front.

The DVD also comes with the feature-length "Cinematic Master Class" directed by Kiarostami. Appropriately titled 10 on Ten, this 83 minute doc has the director (dubbed in English) discussing his style in the context of his other films, including the critically acclaimed, Scorsese fave, ABC Africa.

In the same vein as Ten, we sit in the passenger's seat as we watch (statically) the director drive across the countryside. He discusses cameras, themes, actors, locations, the script, music, etc. The extra film is a definite plus, as well as an informative look at the director's unique, un-academic approach to filmmaking. Also included on the DVD's liner notes is a Kiarostami filmography, as well as some valuable production notes.

Way to go Zeitgeist! Thanks for giving another obscure film the deluxe DVD treatment. Purchase-worthy material for fans of Kiarostami. For others, a very solid rental. -- Neil Karassik