Critical Zone
Critical Zone follows a good-hearted drug trafficker on a night drive through Tehran. This staggering Golden Leopard winner (the top prize of the Locarno film festival) captures the spirit of the desperate Iranian people.
Amir leads a lonely life, with his dog as his sole company. During his nighttime drive, dealing drugs of all kinds, Amir encounters several customers who are able to throw off the shackles of Iran’s strict regime for a while in his car. It is illustrative that young women immediately remove their headscarves. Meanwhile, like some sort of healer, Amir listens to their frustrations and speaks wise words of comfort or advice.
Films set primarily in a car are starting to become a speciality of Iranian filmmakers. No wonder; the car offers an anonymous and relatively safe place to make a film. It is also a place where people can feel free. Such is the case in CRITICAL ZONE.
Director Ahmadzadeh was denied permission to make this film and the Iranian regime did not allow him to travel to Locarno to receive the festival’s top prize. It shows the importance of this heartfelt cry against the oppression of the young generation in Iran. All the characters in the film are played by amateurs. A notable role is played by the female voice of the GPS in the car. She tells Amir which way to go, warns of police checks and thus helps him in what should actually be seen as an act of resistance. (jc)