Filmstelle

Khorshid, a blind boy, lives with his mother in Tajikistan and has to earn money for their accommodation as an instrument tuner. However, he is constantly distracted by voices, noises, and especially music, which often makes him late and almost causes him to lose his job. Time and again, he has to choose between his duty and his love of music. Mohsen Makhmalbaf is one of the central figures of the new wave in Iranian cinema and is indirectly represented twice in our program, thanks to Close Up. The Silence is a wonderfully gentle and sensitive film that shows us Khorshid’s world and his love of music in a poetic way. Despite the serious subject, it always remains light-footed and always retains its sense of aesthetics. Again and again, we are shown what Khorshid hears on the sound level. The film not only sounds excellent but also looks excellent, even if it is almost ironic. The film reaches its climax in the finale with one of the most beautiful scenes in film history, again underlining the power and beauty of music.

Jérôme Bewersdorff