(C) 1987 KANOON
“Where Is the Friend's House?``Kiarostami's movie magic that directed ``Amateur Actor''
“Where Is the Friend's House?” was filmed using real villagers. ”
“Where Is the Friend's House? The first thing that surprises and questions people who see the film is how on earth they were able to capture the children's expressions and movements in such a fresh and realistic way. There are no idol-like children created by adults here. The images of children as they are and their active movements are clearly recorded. It's not just the children. The scenery of the village and the sounds that echo there show us a sense of reality that is completely different from existing movies created on sets.
At the beginning of the film, a classroom door painted blue is shown first. From the other side, I can hear the voices of children making noise. Eventually, the teacher comes and orders the students to show their homework, but one of the students, Mohammad-Reza Nematzedeh, is severely scolded for forgetting his homework notebook. This is the third time he has forgotten his notebook. The boy's teacher scolds him and tells him that if he forgets the next time, he will be expelled from school, and the boy bursts into tears. Ahmad, who was sitting next to me, was watching the situation with concern. When Ahmad returns home after school, he opens his bag and is stunned. He mistakenly took Mohammad Reza's notebook home along with his own notebook. In order to save his friend from expulsion, Ahmad rushes off with his notebook in hand.
“Where Is the Friend's House?” (C) 1987 KANOON
The story unfolds in the village of Koker, where Ahmad lives, and the village of Poshte, where Mohammad Reza lives. To get from Koker to Poshte, you have to climb a zigzag road and go over a hill. Ahmad has difficulty finding a friend's home and ends up traveling back and forth between the two villages many times.
The actual shooting took place in the village of Masreh in northeastern Iran. Ahmad's house that appears in the film, Chaikhane, the village's recreation area, and the school they attend were all made from materials originally found in Masleh village. The characters who appear are actually people who live in the village, and they have no experience in acting. On the contrary, many people say they have only seen a movie a handful of times in their lives.
However, not everything is real. The city scenery is rearranged each time to suit the script, and the relationships between people are subtly changed from reality. The now famous zigzag path was created by trampling the grass together for photo shoots.
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