The Films of Makhmalbaf: Cinema, Politics and Culture in Iran.

• Author: Trilling, David
• Position: Book review

THE FILMS OF MAKHMALBAF: CINEMA, POLITICS AND CULTURE IN IRAN Eric Egan (Washington, DC: Mage Publishers, 2005), 238 pages.

For years critics have looked at Iranian films as barometers of freedom and as metaphorical imitations of unspoken angst with successive governments in Tehran. In The Films of Makhmalbaf.. Cinema, Politics and Culture in Iran, Eric Egan details the cultural history of Iran through film as both agent and reaction. His broad knowledge of native films and their self-reflexive influence highlights the emotional and cultural territory of repression, revolution and protest in Iranian cinema.

Makhmalbaf started as a "devout religious and revolutionary zealot" and moved through stages of social criticism and the "philosophical aesthetics of contemplation" during the chaotic decade following the revolution, Egan shows. His protest and development as an artist eventually led to conflict with the ruling authorities when the government increased attempts to export its ideology through such cultural media as film. At the same time, Iranian films began appearing in great numbers at international festivals.

Throughout Makhmalbaf's career, the Iranian government has struggled with policy...