A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES REVIEWS

Director: Bahman Ghobadi
Cast: Ayoub Ahmadi, Rojin Younessi, Amaneh Ekhtiar-dini
Shemaroo World Cinema



Here’s a testament that movie making is not always about elaborate budgets, star actors and studio backing. You need not be part of Hollywood to make a film that can be appreciated by a wide audience. Filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi has managed to accomplish all that with a modest budget and crew. A Time For Drunken Horses is a sight to behold, as Iranian snow peaks create a sea of colourless void that accommodates some surreal human emotions.

A young Iranian kid Ayoub (Ayoub Ahmadi) loses his father to a mine on the Iran-Iraq border. He survives his father as the sole bread earner for his household which consists of three sisters and one terminally ill and physically handicapped brother. Kids no older than 13-years-old work chores and tasks like adults and earn a living. Ayoub has the added burden of earning enough money for his brother Madi’s operation.

The story touches you with its simplicity and array of emotional sequences. The film has been shot like a documentary, it doesn’t have any trained actors and yet it comes across at par with any international title.

Also part of the disc is Whistling Woods International’s student short film Dreaming Awake. A surreal look into paranoia and greed. The film portrays complex emotions with great conviction. This beautiful little gem is a must watch for anyone who warms up to good ol’ drama.