The Mirror
Directed by Jafar Panahi
Iran
1997
93 mins

Synopsis

A young girl’s trip home takes a surprising turn. Panahi’s first film to blend fiction with reality – hereafter a signature of his work – won the Golden Leopard at Locarno 1997.

Young Mina is impatient: why hasn't her mother come to pick her up from school? The little girl – wearing her uniform, one arm in a cast – decides to make her own way home. Her navigation of Tehran’s frightening traffic is captured in raw, documentary-like images: an adventure in miniature. Along the way, Mina encounters a series of people, most of whom want to help direct her, while others are indifferent to her plight. Suddenly, the child actress protests against her role: she feels trapped in the wrong story. Still miked up, she struggles to get home for real. Just how much of this was staged is unclear – but the ‘mirroring’ of the film’s two halves raises many questions about the nature of both fiction and documentary.

The Mirror poses the deepest questions about illusion, reality and filmmaking. Its portrait of Tehran is unforgettable.
Stephen Holden, The New York Times
  • Year
    1997
  • Classification
    All Ages
  • Country
    Iran
  • Language
    In Farsi with English Subtitles
  • Director
    Jafar Panahi
  • Producer
    Jafar Panahi, Vahid Nikkhah-Azzad
  • Cast
    Mina Mohammadkhani, Kazem Mojdehi, Naser Omuni
  • Screenwriter
    Jafar Panahi
  • Cinematographer
    Farzad Jadat
  • Editor
    Jafar Panahi
  • Genre
    Experimental, Award Winner, Retrospective, Middle East
  • Company Credits
    Rights/Print Source: Tamasa Distribution
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