SEPTEMBERS OF SHIRAZ
***
Director: Wayne Blair
Screenwriter: Hanna Weg based on Dalia Sofer’s novel - The Septembers of Shiraz
Principal cast:
Adrien Brody
Salma Hayek
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Alon Aboutboul
Navid Navid
Gabriella Wright
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 110 mins.
Australian release date: 7 July 2016
Set in Teheran, in 1979, during the early days of the Iranian Revolution, Wayne Blair’s, Septembers of Shiraz, tells the story of a Persian/Jewish jeweller running a successful business that employs 20 or so people in his prosperous gem factory.
Isaac (Adrien Brody) lives in a rich suburb with his wife Farnez (Salma Hayek), his young daughter and his teenage son (who is about to leave Tehran to further his education in an American college); the household is maintained by their long-term, and long-suffering, housekeeper Habibeh (Shohreh Aghdashloo). After the Revolutionary Guards of the Islamic Revolution overthrew the Shah, an ad hoc army of supporters set about rounding up many wealthy Iranians and Isaac is detained, not just because of his wealth, but also because he is suspected of being a spy for Israel. He is interrogated and tortured by Mohsen (Alon Aboutboul), who tries to extract information from him that will also incriminate Isaac’s brother, a smuggler of contraband. Meanwhile, Farnez is trying to find news of her husband and endeavouring to keep her home and business intact. The ensuing scenes between the mistress of the household, her servant Habibeh and Habibeh’s son Morteza (Navid Navid), who works at the gem factory, make clear why so many disgruntled members of the community were prepared to support the revolution and rise up against their employers - not for religious reasons, but for economic ones.
Both Brody and Hayek speak English with Farsi accents, but Hayek’s doesn’t quite cut it and she sounds more Mexican, than Persian; Brody is more successful in this regard. In this dramatic thriller, Australian director Wayne Blair cleverly uses the story, based on the novel – The Septembers of Shiraz - by Dalia Sofer and adapted for the screen by Hanna Weg, to expose many truths about societies that are divided by the wealth of the select few and the poverty of the many. Thus, Septembers of Shiraz can be viewed as a germane and intelligent observation of the current global political climate in which the world’s ‘have-nots’ are rebelling against the party-political status quo. It could also be viewed as propaganda, but it’s actually an astute look at mankind and the foibles which can lead it to conflict. It’s worth noting that Blair has dedicated his film to families who have been forced to flee their homelands, a message that couldn’t be more current.
Screenwriter: Hanna Weg based on Dalia Sofer’s novel - The Septembers of Shiraz
Principal cast:
Adrien Brody
Salma Hayek
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Alon Aboutboul
Navid Navid
Gabriella Wright
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 110 mins.
Australian release date: 7 July 2016
Set in Teheran, in 1979, during the early days of the Iranian Revolution, Wayne Blair’s, Septembers of Shiraz, tells the story of a Persian/Jewish jeweller running a successful business that employs 20 or so people in his prosperous gem factory.
Isaac (Adrien Brody) lives in a rich suburb with his wife Farnez (Salma Hayek), his young daughter and his teenage son (who is about to leave Tehran to further his education in an American college); the household is maintained by their long-term, and long-suffering, housekeeper Habibeh (Shohreh Aghdashloo). After the Revolutionary Guards of the Islamic Revolution overthrew the Shah, an ad hoc army of supporters set about rounding up many wealthy Iranians and Isaac is detained, not just because of his wealth, but also because he is suspected of being a spy for Israel. He is interrogated and tortured by Mohsen (Alon Aboutboul), who tries to extract information from him that will also incriminate Isaac’s brother, a smuggler of contraband. Meanwhile, Farnez is trying to find news of her husband and endeavouring to keep her home and business intact. The ensuing scenes between the mistress of the household, her servant Habibeh and Habibeh’s son Morteza (Navid Navid), who works at the gem factory, make clear why so many disgruntled members of the community were prepared to support the revolution and rise up against their employers - not for religious reasons, but for economic ones.
Both Brody and Hayek speak English with Farsi accents, but Hayek’s doesn’t quite cut it and she sounds more Mexican, than Persian; Brody is more successful in this regard. In this dramatic thriller, Australian director Wayne Blair cleverly uses the story, based on the novel – The Septembers of Shiraz - by Dalia Sofer and adapted for the screen by Hanna Weg, to expose many truths about societies that are divided by the wealth of the select few and the poverty of the many. Thus, Septembers of Shiraz can be viewed as a germane and intelligent observation of the current global political climate in which the world’s ‘have-nots’ are rebelling against the party-political status quo. It could also be viewed as propaganda, but it’s actually an astute look at mankind and the foibles which can lead it to conflict. It’s worth noting that Blair has dedicated his film to families who have been forced to flee their homelands, a message that couldn’t be more current.