Kaghaz-e bikhat (2002) watch online HD

The film quietly touches on so many issues of living together with another, of having a family, of having an unfulfilled desire for creativity. Most of all, it is a very human story presented in a very human and intimate manner. The director is obviously a master of his art. The characters are very full, yet they are not revealed entirely and keep surprising us until the end. They are quite independent. In fact, despite a 12 year married life, they do not know each other that much either!

Even in translation, the dialogues between husband and wife remained brilliant and with some peculiar sense of poetry! I can only envy the farsi-speaking audience!

Roya has a vivid imagination for tales and stories, with which she entertains her cute young son and daughter. However, she is not satisfied with being just a mother and a housewife. She starts going to a film-writing course in the University. Her husband has his own apprehensions about the literary ambitions of his wife. The two of them try to keep their love and family together, while stumbling at their differing expectations, fears, and cracks of communication.

The central topic of the film is a much discussed one: the difficulties that face those women in the more patriarchal societies of the Middle East that want to express themselves publicly /artistically as independent persons. A number of now famous writers had to fight with the reluctance of their more conservative husbands to be overshadowed in public life by their gentler partner. Also, they've had to balance their individualist pursuits with the overbearing social duty to be devoted to the family. In this film, the husband is not conservative, their standings in the family are on par, but still issues pop up. This makes it all the more interesting for a European audience, as well as, showing a more realistic portrait of the middle-class family in modern Muslim countries.

Although this is a drama, somehow it had a light feeling to it (except for the final parts). It felt lyrical, a bit like a fairy tale, and the same time homey and very realist.

The Great Iranian Director and screenwriter "Naaser Taghvaaee", has gone to a deliberate silence after his last movie, "Kaghaze bikhat". An artist with such a talent in creative storytelling, has surprised the local artist communities with this incredible movie. This time, he has chosen a family-political-drama and of course in a critical time. Using folklore tales and usual life of a normal Iranian family, Taghvaee shares with us the very social worries of himself and presents a real conceptual piece of art.

Smart references to recent political murders of that time, unknowing contributions of citizens to a dark regime, and above all, the breath-taking dark-comic drama between a couple made me watch it more than once in a day. The filmmaker knows exactly what he is doing, putting surprises and twists carefully in their professionally- plotted places.

Brilliant idea of Taghvaee naming his characters "Royaa" and "Jahaan" which mean "Dream" and "Universe" in Persian language, and the children "Shangool" and "Mangool" which mean "Foolishly Happy" and "Ignorant" (extracted from a local child tale apparently for fun, but it is a surprise when you see the same names at the end title!), suggest a relevant delicate symbolism.

"Royaa" who is a dreamer, defines her life within dreams, she's the type of person who just enjoys her illusions and does not get involved in the most important aspect of social life, the politics. On the other side, "Jahaan" the husband, is often like what "reality" looks like, mysterious, unpredictable and violent. Kids, the symbol of new generation, under the influence of their mother, are becoming exactly what their names mean, "ignorant and happy".

The technique and form is a little bit outdated, never the less perfect, comparing to the time and place it was made, but if you are interested in concepts and rationalism in cinema and contemplating the real social issues of our time, I do really suggest watching it.