Tag Archives: art

Beautiful City

“The movie paints a realistic image of a society where many are trapped in the sets of religious beliefs, laws and system which in reality are the root causes of their miseries and problems – many self inflicted!”

By: David Etebari

Shahre Ziba (Beautiful City-2004 ) is an Iranian movie directed by Asghar Farhadi about a young boy in the juvenile prison who plans a birthday party for a friend. But the birthday turns out to be a sad and angry one because it also signifies that his friend, having reached 18, will soon be executed. His friend is sentenced to death for having murdered a girl that he loved in a joint suicide attempt.
 
After his release on parole, the boy attempts to convince the family of the victim to forgive his friend. In the meantime the boy falls in love with his friend’s sister who still lives in the house of her ex-husband whom she has a child with. The boy and the sister of the juvenile facing execution eventually obtain the pardon of the victim’s father with the condition of paying blood money retribution, a money that they do not have. Victim’s step mother instead asks the boy to marry her physically challenged daughter in exchange for the blood money.
 
There are a lot of trials and tribulations throughout the movie. The movie paints a realistic image of a society where many are trapped in the sets of religious beliefs, laws and system which in reality are the root causes of their miseries and problems – many self inflicted! Having very limited financial means, the main characters of the movie are caught in an Islamic justice system which is determined by monetary values.
 
Even the father of the victim is required to pay blood money in order to have the juvenile boy executed , because the boy’s life also has a monetary value twice the value of the life of his daughter (the victim). Trying to have the boy executed, the father of the victim even tries to sell their only home to come up with the money required of him by the law.
 
At the end, the characters whom represent the lower income and religious segment of the Iranian population , all face making difficult decisions. The father of the victim with the decision to ask (or not) for execution by insisting on blood money. The boy with the decision to sacrifice his life by marrying the physically challenged daughter or face possibility of his friend’s execution. The sister of the juvenile faces the dilemma of accepting the love of his brother’s friend and to face potential execution of his brother or to let him get married to the girl he doesn’t love in order to save her brother.
 
The movie ends with no good or bad guys. In fact they all seem to be victims of a system and belief that rules them both externally and internally. Even the prison guard is a nice person who cares about the jailed juveniles The local mullah also tries to help but once he fails, he justifies all outcomes based on a belief system that on one hand justifies revenge and on the other promotes mercy and compassion!.

As much as the viewers hope, the film does not end with a closure because the unresolved problems and similar stories are still on-going in the Islamic Republic of Iran …..

There are currently more than 140 juveniles facing execution in Iran. International Laws prohibit child executions. For more information and to sign the petition visit: www.stopchildexecutions.com

http://www.ozpersia.com/Download/177/Shahre-Ziba-Beautiful-City

Coming Soon: The Stoning of Soraya M

On Oct 31st, the movie ‘The Stoning of Soraya M.’ will be released in America.  This powerful movie which is based on a real story from Iran, was produced through collaboration between Iranian and American writers, producers and talented actors from both countries.  The list of actors and actresses include Jim Caviezel (the actor who played Jesus in the highly successful movie ‘Passion of Christ’ by Mel Gibson), Shohreh Aghdashloo, Parviz Sayyad, Navid Negahban as well as the well known old, Iranian actress Vida Ghahremani and was directed by Iranian Director, Cyrus Nowrasteh.

از طرف يك ذوب شده در كيهان

کوهیار

خبر تا ييد اعدام يك نوجوان در ايران  توسط يكي از دوستان به ميلينگ ليستش فرستاده شده بود. ايميل كيهان هم در ميان كانتاكت‌ها بود. جوابيه كيهان اينست:
Lotfan baraye man mail naferestid,akhbare shoma baraye man jaleb nist

اين هم نامه ما:

كيهان عزيز
اكنون كه اين نامه را برايت مي‌نويسم در و ديوار اين آلونك از عطر روزنامه اوراق تو

ببخشيد اوراق روزنامه تو لبريز است
از لحن نامه‌ات پر شدم از بغض و سرشك
دلم واست تنگ شد و اين نامه رو واست نوشت
تو نبايد بياي از اين ورا گذري
دل مارو ور داري ببري بپزي بدي گربه آقاي پاكشير بخوره
تو تنها نيستي
به قول فدريكو
زرد تويي
كه زرد مي‌خواهمت
اي ويژه نويس
اي آمار بده
اي مسئول كوبيدن مشت به دهان استكبار جهاني و غيره
اي غضنفر
ببخشيد
اي كيهان
اي ستاره دنباله‌دار
چرا تو اخبار ما را نمي‌خواهي؟
لطفاً به من بگو چه نوع اخباري براي تو جالب است
نظرت در مورد آمار اپوزيسون چيست؟
اگر چيزي كم و كسر داشتي بگو
با تشكر از روزنامه ارزشي شما مي‌خواستم اين را بگويم كه اينهايي كه دم از حقوق بشر آمريكايي مي‌زنند همان‌هايي هستند
كه در دوم خرداد شعارهاي التقاطي مي‌دادند.
اين‌ها مي‌خواهند جامعه را از درون تهي كنن
خواهش مي‌كنم
تمنا مي‌كنم از تو
اي كيهان
اي كهكشان‌واره
اين جامعه را از درون پر كن
(لطفاً در انتخاب مسير درون دقت كافي بخرج بده) ممنونيم از تو
محمود را ببوس
اگر او و شما نبوديد
حقوق بشر نقض نمي‌شد و ما ساير فعالان سياسي و حقوق بشر و حقوق بچه‌ها و حقوق مرغ و گربه و الهام
هيچ نداشتيم بكنيم و بيكار مي‌شديم و مجبور بوديم برويم دنبال چغندركاري
و آن وقت در توليد چغندر خودكفا مي‌شديم و ممكن بود اين كشور‌هاي بي‌ناموس استيك‌باري كه هي استيك خنزير مي‌خورند
به فعاليت‌هاي چغندرانه‌ي ما مشكوك شوند و آن‌ وقت ما هي مورد قطعنامه و ورق‌پاره قرار بگيريم
و اين بزغاله‌ها هي جامعه را از درون تهي كنند و تورم بوجود بيايد
ممنون از اينكه فعالان سياسي را مي‌گيريد و مي‌بريد اون تو و متورمشان مي‌كنيد.
قطعا اين تحول اقتصادي كه در ما بوجود خواهد آمد موجب تغيير دوره گردش هاله به دور محمود خواهد شد
اين بچه‌ها را كه اعدام مي‌كنيد خوب كاري مي‌كنيد
رشد جمعيت زياد شده
ببخش كيهان جونم
اما برام سوال پيش اومد
اگر اعدام نوجوانان جالب نيست
پس چرا فرت و فرت اعدامشان مي‌كنيد
آهان
ببخش
الان به مغزم فشا ريدم و متوجه شدم حتماً خيري در آن نهفته است
اينكه دقيقا كجاي آن نهفته يا نهفتيده شده هم مهم نيست
بهرحال شما و ساسي مانكن و حسن مخته و ساير اساتيد بهتر مي‌فهميد چي بدرد دنيا و آخرت ماها مي‌خورد
سرت را درد نياورم
قلبت را هم همين طور
مجبور مي‌شوي قرص زير زباني و احياناً چيزهاي ديگر استعمال كني
آن وقت يك وقت ديدي خوشت آمد و زبانم لال از كار و زندگي مي‌افتي و ما هم ممكن است روي خوشبختي را ببينيم‌ آن وقت آخرتمان خشك مي‌شود، سپس كمي مرطوب شده با نمك و زردچوبه و اسپري فلفل به ميزان دلخواه قاطي گشته و در آخر تباه مي‌گردد
روي ماه همه بچه‌ها را ببوس
احتمالاً بعد از نوشتن اين نامه به زودي مجبور به زيارتتان خواهم شد
راستي
اين را هم بگويم
من از بين روزنامه‌هاي ارزشي روزنامه شما را خيلي دوست دارم
چون جنس كاغد آن واقعا با مزاجم سازگار است و با سس هزار جزيره مهرام طعم دلپذيري پيدا مي‌كند
دكترم گير داده
بايستي قرص‌هايم را بخورم
روي شكم خالي نمي‌شود هر چه مي‌گويم اخبار ويژه شما را الان خوردم قبول نمي‌كند
جايتان خالي خيلي خوشمزه بود
مخصوصاً آن قسمتش كه هتاكان و ايادي و مزدوران استيك‌بار برج اسكان رو معرفي كرده بوديد
واي خدا
مي‌خوان با من مهرورزي كنن
جايتان خالي است
اينجا هفته‌اي يك بار با ما مهرورزي مي‌كنند و ما ساير ايام هفته را دمر مي‌خوابيم
مي‌گويند براي مختان خوبست
دارند ما را از درون پر مي‌كنند 

از طرف يك ذوب در كيهان
بوس بوس
بغل يغل
خانم‌ها دست
آقايون صلوات
حالا برعكس

 

 


توضيح براي دوستان
دلم نيومد اين نوشته كيهان عزيز رو ببينم و خفه خون بگيرم
دوري همه شما دلتنگم مي‌كند
بازجويي‌ها كه تمام شد تماس مي‌گيرم
هزار جزيره را حتماً امتحان  كنيد

"A Reflection Of Us"

By Shae’r

As a Child Is Born ..
Its Soul ..
Bereft of Any Uncleanness ..
From The Time Of Childhood ..
Encountering All Unseemliness ..
The Condition of The Society ..
Rife With Crime ..
Its Spirit Ever Exposed ..
To The Wrath Of Mankind ..
As A Flower Will Not Survive ..
In A Torrent Of Adversity ..
The Protection Of The Family ..
Ever Important ..
Like A Shield To Protect ..
From The Arrows Of Evil ..
Although Never Sufficient ..
Yet Necessary ..
Our Children Are Indeed ..
A Reflection Of Us ..
Like Holding A Mirror ..
A Reflection Of Our Character ..
Brother ..
Don’t Blame A Child ..
Since That Child ..
Is ..
Our Product ..
Show Mercy To His Soul ..
As God Would Want You To Do ..
As God Shows Mercy To Us ..
So We Should To Our Children ..
To Execute A Child For A Crime ..
In The Eyes Of God ..
Is ..
Worse Than ..
Adultery ..
Murder ..
Be Compassionate ..
Be Merciful ..
That Unless For The Grace of God ..
Your Child ..
One Day ..
May Need ..
The Same ..
Mercy ..
Make An Angel Happy ..
Show Your Mercy ..
Knowing Full Well ..
That God Himself ..
Will Never ..
Forget That ..
Amen ..

Copyright ©2008 Shae’r