It's March 2003 and many Iraqi Kurds are fleeing towards the Iranian border trying to escape the bombardment of Kirkuk. One pair, a newlywed couple still in fancy dress, is halted when the bride steps on a land mine. Realizing that the mine will detonate if she steps off, she pleads for her husband to help. He runs off in a panic to find help. This is the wonderfully absurd premise of Riverside, a solid film written and directed by Ali Reza Amini.
The film has a broad cast of characters who are all trying to reach safety in Iran An old woman who has nothing left but her cow. A man trying desperately to get the body of hid young son to Iran before burying it. A deserting solider carrying a remarkable quantity of guns. A grandmother carrying her two grandchildren. Three men rather lost and wandering towards the border with only a conflict over doogh to keep them motivated. The first part of the film introduces these characters with rather sparse dialogue, letting their actions successfully define their current situations. There is a sad determination to the grandmother uttering promises of strength to her grandchildren as she hauls them on her back through the mountainous terrain. Most powerful perhaps, is the old woman after a fighter plane spooks her cow. The cows runs off and she sings a quiet condemnation of both her fate and the cow while looking for it. "It was me and the cow and the cow has left me now," she laments.
As each moves towards the border they begin to come across the bride, who stares at her foot knowing the awful absurdity of her situation. They relate their stories to one another while offering words of strength and encouragement to the bride. Continually assuring her that her husband will be back soon with help they play music, offer good and bad advice, and relate a lovely anecdote about a woman who keeps getting served dry bread and fish head at wedding banquets.
While each is on their way to the eventual meeting spot the film is engaging and moves at an excellent pace. After getting there though, it seems to lose focus and fall a little flat. The plentiful fine moments are swapped out for occasional ones though the film remains gorgeously shot. All this is done against the backdrop of the US invasion of Iraq. No character ever says anything condemning or supporting the attack. They don't need to. Their difficulty as refugees speaks loudly enough. It's not just the current war that it's condemning though. It's the legacy of an earlier war that exacerbates the problems caused by the present one. It's an excellent message for the comedic tragedy Riverside, and this review, to end on.
The film has a broad cast of characters who are all trying to reach safety in Iran An old woman who has nothing left but her cow. A man trying desperately to get the body of hid young son to Iran before burying it. A deserting solider carrying a remarkable quantity of guns. A grandmother carrying her two grandchildren. Three men rather lost and wandering towards the border with only a conflict over doogh to keep them motivated. The first part of the film introduces these characters with rather sparse dialogue, letting their actions successfully define their current situations. There is a sad determination to the grandmother uttering promises of strength to her grandchildren as she hauls them on her back through the mountainous terrain. Most powerful perhaps, is the old woman after a fighter plane spooks her cow. The cows runs off and she sings a quiet condemnation of both her fate and the cow while looking for it. "It was me and the cow and the cow has left me now," she laments.
As each moves towards the border they begin to come across the bride, who stares at her foot knowing the awful absurdity of her situation. They relate their stories to one another while offering words of strength and encouragement to the bride. Continually assuring her that her husband will be back soon with help they play music, offer good and bad advice, and relate a lovely anecdote about a woman who keeps getting served dry bread and fish head at wedding banquets.
While each is on their way to the eventual meeting spot the film is engaging and moves at an excellent pace. After getting there though, it seems to lose focus and fall a little flat. The plentiful fine moments are swapped out for occasional ones though the film remains gorgeously shot. All this is done against the backdrop of the US invasion of Iraq. No character ever says anything condemning or supporting the attack. They don't need to. Their difficulty as refugees speaks loudly enough. It's not just the current war that it's condemning though. It's the legacy of an earlier war that exacerbates the problems caused by the present one. It's an excellent message for the comedic tragedy Riverside, and this review, to end on.
