Jafar Panahi had been behind the camera making films for most of his life, going from an army cinematographer to an assistant director to a critically acclaimed film director. Then came his 20-year ban, and he did not know how to place himself within the world of cinema he adored without being legally and physically restrained. His first film after his ban, This is not a film, is a testament to this predicament of his. For most parts of the film, we see Panahi's constant struggle to maintain the actor's role. We see him continually interjecting and trying to take the lead with certain creative decisions, while the actual director, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, has to remind him of his position and the shift in dynamic that he has to get used to. Initially, Panahi tries to steer the story with phone conversations and then talking about his older films. When Panahi talks about how he relates to Mina from his film,The Mirror, we see how uncomfortable he feels with his actor role and how he feels like he is pretending to be something he is not, just like Mina did in his film. That's when they choose to direct the film by Panahi reading out the screenplay of the film he had to leave incomplete due to his ban.
Interestingly, they decided to leave in parts where creative decisions are made to align the film with the progression of Panahi's thoughts on how it should be filmed. The entire part when Panahi was setting up the scene for his screenplay is fascinating. It's apparent that Panahi has a specific image in his head along with the direction of how he wants it shot, the time which is taken for each shot, as well as videos of the actual location he is trying to recreate evident by the ease and rigor with which he is able to make his living room the set for his film. We see simply a sneak peek into the brilliant mind of a film director with his extreme awareness of sounds and frames that can narrate the story more than the words used.
A turning point comes when Panahi realizes, "if we could tell a film, why make a film?". He then shows two of his films Crimson Gold and The Circle, and we can see how Panahi believes that the actor and their location lead the film's narrative, and only once the film is made can it be explained. A striking moment is when Mirtahmasb expresses his concern about them doing something with film, subsequently defying the ban. We understand then the gravity of Panahi even filming This is not a film. I believe the fireworks sequence further enforces this fear and danger of challenging the Iranian government by expressing one's opinions through the film. The immediate worry for one's life and their family when it comes to military involvement. Panahi following the guy picking up the trash is a sudden and somewhat random shift of events, especially in the ten minutes before the film comes to a close. I believe Panahi wants to get rid of the actor role as fast as possible and take on the director role. That is probably why he continually questions the guy to get his story and make him the main character but eventually turns disappointed when their conversation is constantly interrupted. The final peak in Panahi's story comes when the film ends at Panahi being able to film just before the gate of his building, the extent to his house arrest movement. It has a neat and clever ending, a cheeky, revealing, and truthful plea of innocence.
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