CARPET OF THE WIND
Iran, 2002, 110 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Kamal Tabrizi.
Carpet of the Wind is a film of great beauty, sentiment and charm as well as humour. The focus is on a young Japanese businessman who is commissioned by a Japanese festival to provide a carpet, woven in Iran. His wife is the designer of the carpet. She and her young daughter pray that the carpet will be a success. However, the young wife is killed in a street accident. The young man continues his visit to Esfahan with his young daughter. The carpet which was commissioned has not been woven. The man is in despair, his daughter feels isolated and cannot communicate. However, the welcome of his Iranian friend, Akhbar, is very warm as well as that of his wife and the people of the town. The businessman who should have commissioned the carpet is busy about his many other business interests. A young boy who has a carriage for tourists has the idea that the townspeople can combine and, working on shifts, make the carpet in twenty days. The film shows the collaboration of the townspeople, the exhilaration of their work, the difficulties in getting the wool, the dye and other aspects of weaving. However, the carpet is completed - as well as celebration of a marriage with the visit of the local Mullah.
The film is rich in its character-drawing, beautifully crafted, well acted. The film also introduces religious themes such as Japanese prayer as well as Muslim traditions of prayer, blessings and making ordinary life sacred. The director of the film also made at the same time a very esoteric film called Take a Look at the Sky Sometimes, using many of the same cast. However, it is quite elliptical and uses magic realism in its interpretation of Iranian religious customs. Carpet of the Wind is more classical film-making.
1. The universal appeal of this film? Its interchange of cultures, Japanese and Iranian. Universal values, character, religious dimension?
2. The use of the Japanese locations as well as of Esfahan? The contrast of the beauty of each country? The beauty of the city of Esfahan, its temples, its history as well as the ordinariness of daily life, especially for the weavers? The musical score?
3. The title, the focus on the carpet, the realism of making the carpet, its symbolic design and use for the Japanese festival?
4. Japan: the young woman, her love for her daughter, joy in life, prayer, her abilities with carpet design? The planning of the carpet? Her making the peace origami birds with her daughter? Going to buy the paper, not having the money, the car accident in the street? The family's grief at her death? The young man, the elder, the commissioning of the carpet, his friend in Iran, the dilemma about the carpet?
5. The man going to Iran with his daughter, arriving at Esfahan airport, meeting his friend Akhbar, the welcome? In the house, the young boy with the carriage? The visit to the business owner, the double-talk about the carpet, Akhbar not telling him the truth? The reality that the carpet had not even been begun? The moroseness of the Japanese man, his despair, sitting alone? The young boy and the plan for the making of the carpet?
6. The character of Akhbar, the eternal optimist? His friendship with the Japanese? The welcome into his home? His charming wife, her kindness towards the little girl? The visits to the owner, the discovery of the truth, Akhbar and his avoiding telling the truth, his wife trying to get him to acknowledge what had happened, her telling the truth? Akhbar and his attempts to try to get the carpet made?
7. The young boy, his family, his sick father, working for Akhbar? His infatuation with the Japanese girl, learning some words, asking Akhbar? Their playing together, taking her for the ride? The outing, Akhbar's wife and her playing with the little girl, the daughter's disappearance? Her going on the coach ride, everybody frantic, the police searching? The boy bringing her home?
8. The boy and his plan, the twenty days, the shifts? Akhbar not believing it, looking for the boy, organising it?
9. The owner, his talk about his many business interests, his courtesy? His decision to support the weaving of the carpet? The design, the assembling of the wool, the dyeing of the wool, the woman in charge? The various members of the shifts, Akhbar's wife and her cooking? The work, its progress, the difficulties with a torn string, the wrong wool, the dye, going to the mosque on the Friday to buy more wool? The old man wanting to help and the unravelling of his pullover for wool? The weariness, the joy of working, the techniques of carpet-making? The religious dimension and the blessing of the work?
10. Akhbar and his achievement, his making mistakes about the heat, the dyeing of the wool, going to the mosque, taking the Japanese man with him? Their reconciliation after the Japanese man's disillusionment?
11. The marriage ceremony, the inviting of the Mullah, the reverence towards him, the joyful celebration and the dancing? The Japanese man at home, the little girl and her feeling at home in Iran?
12. The completion of the carpet, the boy and the girl putting their threads? The transition to Japan, the festival and the carpet? The close-up of the two threads and the symbol of friendship, love and cultural exchange?
