NEGEN AND ME DOT COM
Iran, 2004, 85 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Hossein Qana'at.
Negen and Me Dot Com is an exuberant children's film, focusing on a rather large boy who is keen to lose weight and does martial arts training. In going to the baker's, he thinks he has lost his money, finds it on the ground, and clashes with a young girl who claims it is hers. He wins. When he gets home, he finds that he had not taken any money. He goes to see her and to apologise. They become friends and become involved in a series of adventures, especially as regards a little boy who has been kidnapped by a pair of bumbling kidnappers. In the meantime two prisoners are continually surfacing to try to get out of jail by tunnelling.
The film is average in its entertainment value but highlights life in an Iranian city as well as comic aspects of life, especially involving quite a number of sets of twins.
1. A popular children's film? The family?
2. The city setting, the countryside, the homes, police station, the cinema, shops, the beach?
3. The focus on the boy, at the bank, seeing the robbery, helping push the car to get it started? His father in the hot-dog suit and his disappointment in his father? (This theme not taken anywhere?) The going to the baker's, going to the martial arts school, his friend, the boy that he hit and injured? At the baker's, the dispute about the money, his being wrong? Going home, finding out the truth, going to apologise? Talking with the young girl, becoming friendly? Their going for a walk, the adventures that they had, the twins, talking with people, getting into trouble, running away? Finding the little boy, playing with him, taking him to the police station, running away again? The TV with the girl on the bike, meeting up with her? Finally getting into action with the kidnappers, rescuing the little boy? Going home - an enjoyable day? The character of the boy, his size, his comments? The little girl, her vivacity?
4. The bumbling kidnappers, the attempted bank robbery and its being the wrong day, the car not starting, pretending they were being filmed and getting away? The robbery and their mistaking the house? The kidnapping and the wrong figure on the ransom note? Taking the little boy, playing with him and entertaining him, at the movies, at the beach? Their returning him, getting the money, finding it difficult to open the case? The money dispute, going back to find the boy, the mix-ups, the children, the pursuit? Their being taken in - the kindly policeman letting them go?
5. The little boy, his parents, his enjoying the outing with the kidnappers, with the two children, his being returned home?
6. The incidental characters, the police, the man trying to steal the cars, the two prisoners trying to escape, the shopkeepers, the kidnapper dressed up as a woman and being looked at by the shopkeeper and his reaction_? The twins? Comic characters to fill out a children's entertainment?
