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Normal Topic Time for Drunken Horses, A (2000) (Read 2,940 times)
socksoles
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Time for Drunken Horses, A (2000)
21. Apr 2004 at 16:22
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Following an earlier thread and discussion with Cal some extra information on this Iranian movie, which is, and I agree here with Cal, quite depressing and disturbing. Nevertheless the movie also shows the strength that people, children in particular, can show in hard circumstances. It also tells the story of a family that, in difficult situations, sticks together, and manages to survive. Some rays of hope in the middle of misery.

The next observations are taken from (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links). For me remains to say that this movie has been released on DVD R2 and can be ordered through (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

'soles' :cwm39:

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"The story concerns a family of Kurds on the Iran/Iraq border who is coping with the illness of its youngest member, the deformed Madi. Madi needs an operation or he will die within a month. (Mentioned offhand is the fact that even with the operation, Madi is doomed--to me, this is the key to the movie's deeper truths.) Madi's siblings try to find the money for his operation by any means necessary, including smuggling, marriage, and extremely hard physical labor.

The kind of sadness the movie exudes is not everybody's idea of a good time. In fact, there are so many awful elements piled up that it's incredible the whole thing doesn't fall into melodrama right away. As if abject poverty and incurable illness aren't enough, add greed, selfishness, and cruelty, throw in an inhospitable climate and barren landscapes, and top it off with ambushes and landmines, and you have all the ingredients for a tear jerker of epic proportions. But like the smugglers stepping through the landmine-infested border regions, the fledging director avoids all the traps of his material and delivers a film that doesn't leave you bawling but thoroughly disturbed.

Part of the film's power derives from its documentary feel, the proud and convincing amateur actors, and the message at the beginning that informs us that this stuff is real. These are people you don't see on TV, unless there's a war on and they appear on the news as statistics or extras huddled together somewhere to receive some aid (like the Kurds were at the end of the Gulf War). These are people who don't worry about whether or not they'll manage to get their hands on one of those elusive Playstations 2 in time for Christmas. Instead, they are arrested at border checkpoints for smuggling exercise books for their children. Not textbooks, mind you: exercise books. The blank kind used for math problems.

But that's not why I recommend the film. Truth isn't enough: what makes A Time for Drunken Horses such a must-see film is not its powerful authenticity, but the fact that it's the most emotionally engaging film I've seen all year. I was hooked from the first minute, and despite the awful topic, there are many pleasures in this film. The proud humanity of the characters, their matter-of-fact acceptance of their awful lot, whether they're trudging through knee-deep snow or huddling on the floor of their huts. The sight of the doomed dwarf dangling from the back of a packing horse in a sack while the sister was being led away to her new husband is one of the most jaw-dropping images in recent memory. A Time for Drunken Horses deserves to be seen, and seen again, by as many people as possible."
« Last Edit: 07. Jul 2008 at 05:56 by Zabladowski »  
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YoungArthur
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Re: a Time for drunken Horses (Iran, 2000)
Reply #1 - 22. Apr 2004 at 18:28
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Thanks for the excellent review, 'Soles.  I do so want to see it even though I know I won't 'enjoy' it.  So many kids suffered there and in many other parts of the world.
  
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Re: a Time for drunken Horses (Iran, 2000)
Reply #2 - 23. Apr 2004 at 00:45
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Thanks for the excellent review soles.

« Last Edit: 01. Jun 2004 at 01:48 by cal-Q-L8 »  
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