Jafar Panahi is the Iranian director whose outspoken views against the legitimacy of the Iranian president in 2015 resulted in his ban from filmmaking and inability to leave Iran. This did not stop his creation of Tehran Taxi, a cleverly crafted guerilla mockumentary where Panahi plays himself as a taxi driver looking to find peace in his hectic life. Panahi references his political situation throughout the movie with moments of grace, humourous conflict, and heavy political insight. This Iranian mockumentary was a highly activist and artful presentation of Panahi’s views on censorship in cinema and broadcasting in Iran.
For the dark circumstances at hand for Panahi, Tehran Taxi is surprisingly positive and humorous with elements of artistic grace and compassion. This is achieved through such memorable characters like the hysterical old ladies late for their event, causing havoc in the car, and Panahi’s tranquil niece that he picks up from school. Much of the dialogue involving Panahi and Ahmed, the enthusiastic film bootlegger, gave rise to an energetic and charged scene. Overall, the film is full of bright moments which instill a sense of hope in the darkness that acts as the backdrop for the characters. This dynamic of ‘hope battling conflict’ is crystallized in the ending of the film in a poignant monologue of the Flower Lady, who is Panahi’s final passenger. She encourages Panahi to continue his cinematic rebellion, and in this way, Panahi’s film is about hope and artistic duty. This becomes even more meaningful when it can be revealed through outside sources that the Flower Lady is a famous human rights lawyer in Iran - also banned from practicing her occupation.
This force for good is contradictory to tyrannical visions of the Iranian government. In an important scene that is set up while Panahi and his little niece are alone in the car. Panahi’s little niece reads through her worksheet instructions from school. Panahi cleverly shows that the Iranian government is against hope and beauty as the worksheet is supposed to contain the government's official criteria for broadcastable content. What she reads from the sheet contradicts not only the entire movie but also the many characters that are in it despite their bright human qualities. The worksheet banned people of poor circumstance, freedom of speech, and illegal activities. As revealed, compassionate characters in this movie are rendered criminals as they show a range of unlawful qualities that constitute as harmful to society according to the Iranian government. This is ironic since these supposed criminals are the characters with the most compassion and humor. Since Panahi’s niece’s class has assigned a filmmaking project, we are given a look into how children are taught filmmaking. This is truly ironic since these supposed rebels of the government have been thus far the only beacons of light in the dark and authoritative world that is set up for the audience. This dark world consists of harsh censorship and death penalties, a place that Panahi is trying to brighten up.
Tehran Taxi is a remarkable feat of artistic activism. Panahi had been harassed and punished for his artistic honesty by the Iranian government. He turned his dark situation into a mere backdrop for the relentless artistic inspiration within him. In this way, Tehran Taxi is one of the most honest films of the century. Moreover, it is a striking essay on how artistry and compassion are stronger when connected. As such, it is powerful enough to make a tyranny, like Iran’s current government, look foolish.
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