The Deer (Faces of Iran)

The Deer (Faces of Iran)

The Deer

Gavaznha Iran 1974 | Masud Kimiai | vostEN | 120’ | Cast : Behrouz Vossoughi, Faramarz Gharibian, Nosrat Partovi

► Preceded by a video introduction by the director

► Shown with the reshot final sequence followed by the originally censored ending

Wounded by the police, the robber Ghodrat looks up Seyed, an old friend. Ghodrat finds that his former role model has turned to heroin and feels the need to try and help his friend, though at what price?

« In various Iranian critics' poll, The Deer has occupied the very top place as “the best Iranian film ever made." Kimiai adds an explicitly political dimension to the story of his typically defiant characters. There is a sense of an imminent revolution in this story of a former champ turned junkie who reunites with a leftist classmate and is redeemed by revolutionary anger. » (Ehsan Khoshbakht)

« The mood of despair and disenchantment stems both from wounded masculine pride and the pressures of poverty, supplemented by the harsh, rough look of the film’s cinematography. Seyed used to be Ghodrat’s protector; now he’s been all but destroyed by drugs, looking way beyond his years. Vossoughi’s performance has been justifiably praised, even compared to career-peak Brando. » (Screen Slate)