At the cinema: Chronicles of Tehran… why should we see this film with its liberating and rebellious laughter?

Tehran Chronicles , a comedy-drama in 9 segments directed by Ali Asghar ( One Night Only ) and Alireza Khatami ( Poems of Oblivion ), opens in theaters this Wednesday and was presented at the recent Cannes Film Festival.

Iran currently lives under a theocratic regime, and with various vignettes set in Tehran, the country’s capital, the film points to the country’s many prohibitions with absurdist humor that at this point amounts to defying the act.

The device is simple: each sketch consists of a fixed frame, which represents a specific situation in which the human will conflicts with the numerous taboos and prohibitions in force in the country. This formal choice is inspired by the “debate” type of Persian poetry, which consists of a discussion between two people on a specific topic.

This emphasizes the realism of these situations and places the viewer in the position of an intelligent observer, a witness. The Iranian government is heard only through the voices of its representatives, using dehumanizing and abusive, irreversible rules.

The first sketch, the first absurdity

For example, the first “sketch” is about a young father who comes to register his child’s name, David, which is not “national” enough and needs to be changed. Obviously, the father will argue and push the thinking of an administrative worker to its limits.

Of course, then there is laughter, liberating and preventing crying. With nine segments of the film, totaling 1 hour 17 minutes, Chronicles of Tehran offers an insight into daily life in Iran, which you will see on screens tomorrow.