Critical Zone

In the organizer's words:

"Critical Zone" is a film about resistance in hopeless times that captures the spirit of a young Iranian generation and becomes an expression of protest itself. Shot in secret and banned by the Iranian authorities, this film shows us never-before-seen, mesmerizing images from the underworld of Tehran, where despair and rebellion go hand in hand. Awarded the Golden Leopard at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival.

Tehran at night. From the side window of a moving car, a woman pulls down her headscarf and shouts a powerful, loud, shocking "Fuck You!" into the sleeping city. It is the only moment of freedom and lust that director Ali Ahmadzadeh allows his characters.

The film is a look at the hopelessness and lack of prospects of the young generation in Iran, who would like to live an internationally oriented life, but exist in a state of alienated shock under the mullah regime. The guide through this sad, always tired world is Amir, a drug dealer. We see him at home, calmly and precisely sorting his drugs like a pharmacist and packing them into small boxes and packets. Then he gets into his car and drives through the city at night to his customers, whom he gives a little relief with his hallucinogenic drugs. His customers are young, desperate, full of fears and inhibitions. None of them dare to dream of a better future. Amir's drugs numb their pain, but nothing more.

"The making of this movie was a revolution, its screening is an even greater victory." Ali Ahmadzadeh

Director: Ali Ahmadzadeh

Camera: Abbas Rahimi

Iran, Germany 2023, 99 min., Persian original version with German subtitles, FSK 16

Price information:

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