Sep. 06, 1999|Iran | France|118 Min.|n/A
Genre: Drama
Description: The Wind Will Carry Us (1999) is a thought-provoking film directed by Abbas Kiarostami. The story begins with a group of engineers traveling through the sunlit hills of Iranian Kurdistan, heading to a secluded mountain village. The audience observes their journey from a distance, hearing their conversations without seeing their faces. When they arrive, the camera follows the lead engineer, Behzad Dourani, from behind as he navigates the village’s narrow streets, delaying the moment we finally see his face. His companions remain unseen throughout the film.
In contrast to the explicit style of modern cinema, The Wind Will Carry Us stands out for its subtlety and ambiguity. It unfolds gradually, revealing its narrative in a way that leaves much to interpretation. For Kiarostami, what remains unseen is often as significant as what is shown.
The film’s plot is straightforward yet emotionally profound. Dourani’s character arrives in the remote village with a mysterious purpose. As a respected guest, he enlists a local child as his guide, pulling the boy away from his studies to learn about the villagers. A key element of the story involves an elderly woman nearing death in a nearby house and a laborer digging a telecommunications pipeline on the hillside. These events seem connected, symbolizing the encroachment of modernity on a traditional, insular community. However, the film avoids clear-cut conclusions or heavy-handed messages, maintaining its enigmatic tone. Even a controversial scene, where the engineer converses with a girl milking a cow in the shadows, is left open to interpretation, frustrating Iranian censors who struggled to define its intent.
The Wind Will Carry Us is a unique cinematic experience, blending simplicity with profound depth, and leaving audiences with more questions than answers.
Cast director: Bahman Ghobadi
Cast actor: Behzad Dorani, Noghre Asadi, Roushan Karam Elmi, Bahman Ghobadi, Shahpour Ghobadi, Reihan Heidari, Masood Mansouri, Ali Reza Naderi, Frangis Rahsepar, Masoameh Salimi
Original name: باد ما را خواهد برد