3 FACES
JAFAR PANAHI | IRAN | 2018 | 100 MIN | NR | PERSIAN W/ ENG SUBTITLES
Nine years after being officially banned from making new films by the Iranian government, director Jafar Panahi is still at it. His fourth feature since the ban went into place, 3 FACES is a wry commentary on being an artist and a human being under a patriarchal and restrictive regime. When well-known actress Behnaz Jafari (playing herself) receives a disturbing video message from a suicidal young woman whose conservative parents won’t allow her to pursue her dream of acting, she convinces Panahi (also playing himself) to drive with her to the young woman’s remote mountain village. The mystery of the video’s origins slowly unravels as these two fish out of water encounter the denizens of the village, whose eccentricities range from endearingly daffy to disturbingly backwards. With a melancholic sense of humor and deeply empathetic eye toward human suffering, Jafari has crafted another haunting depiction of the daily battle between freedom and oppression in contemporary Iran.
Post film discussion with Mahyar Entezari, Lecturer in Persian Language and Culture in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania.
Cast: Behnaz Jafari, Jafar Panahi, Marziyeh Rezaei, Maedeh Erteghaei
Winner: Cannes Film Festival 2018 – Best Screenplay Award
“Charming Iranian cinema at its purest. Defiantly modern in its liberating message.” -The Hollywood Reporter
CLICK HERE to see all films currently screening at the PFS Roxy Theater.