BAREFOOT IN HEAVEN

Iran, 2007, 83 minutes, Colour.
Amin Tarokh.
Directed by Bahram Tavakoli.

Barefoot in Heaven is a very spiritual film in the Muslim tradition. It is about belief, self-sacrifice, even holiness. It is the work of a thirty-year-old writer-director, Bahram Tavakoli, who has written and directed a number of short films. It is one of many Iranian films which look at religious traditions like Conversations with God, and films which dramatise the relationship with Christianity like Son of Maryam, Robin, The Sun Shines on Everybody Equally, Passion and the Maiden.

The focus of the film is on a clergyman who goes to an institution as chaplain. The institution is for an incurable disease which affects the immune system. Iranian reticence in 2006-7 did not refer to the disease by name as AIDS. Terminal patients are put in a special section by themselves – which is nicknamed The Paradise.

The film is very sombre in its tone with the visuals of the institution, seeing it in the rain, the interiors and the corridors, the laboratory, the interview rooms, the exteriors and the soccer field, at night. The colour photography is muted, with dark tones? Black and white sequences are inserted as well as video material.

The film begins rather philosophically with the clergyman’s reflection on time and the passing of time, with remarks about prayer, the sameness of the routine in the institution. He also has a vision of a burning man. Then there is a flashback to his entrance into the institution.

The audience does not know anything about the clergyman coming to the institution, about his decision. The man seems to have no back-story, is alone, is very serious-minded. We simply see his arrival in the rain, waiting at the gate, eventually let in, the soldier guiding him, the institution grim in appearance and the discussion about the disease with the incurables in their own ward. The other personnel include an attendant with his frozen face, the doctor and his explanations. The clergyman has nowhere to stay and does not seem to feel whether he is welcome or not?

As the film progresses the audience begins to understand the role of the clergy, the role of the chaplaincy and being on call. We are impressed by his devotion, his capacity for listening and observing him in action with the range of people there, his reactions to the people that he first meets, his work with different patients as well as one of the soldiers and his being able to empathise with people, even rejoicing with them for instance at the prospect of a wedding. However, being with the patients takes its toll – as it does on the doctor who is trying to alleviate pain and experimenting with drugs on himself to find a cure. The doctor talks with the clergyman and his own stances are seen in his interviews with the patients. His own experiments do not save him. He finds a rash on his arm, takes a blood sample and examines it while filming a video explaining his illness. He offers another motivation for alleviating the sufferings of others.

The clergyman also ministers within the institution and outside it, illustrating a pastoral and spiritual outreach. The soldier on guard has his cigarettes thrown away but he finds he is able to talk with the clergyman, tell his story about the girl, building the soccer field, the video camera. He wants the clergyman’s help in bringing the girl over – she is in the incurable ward. However, the soldier wants to marry her and the clergyman promises. The soldier sings.

More dramatic is his work with the silent man, opening up to the clergyman about his adopted son and the attitudes of his wife. Then he sets himself on fire. The clergyman puts out the fire but burns his own hands. In the aftermath, the son comes to visit him. In a symbolic gesture the clergyman makes a paper boat and floats it down the river. Another man tells his story, the clergyman listening. His wife visits, sharing biscuits. In the final discussions during his illness he says he wants to see the snow? After his death, as he is being carried out, his hand touches the snow.

More warmly, a woman who works at the institution is concerned about her son. She shows great friendliness, helping the clergyman. But then she has to move – in her discussion about her job, she shows self-sacrifice as well, saying that somebody would need the job more than she did.

The clergyman has been warned that infectious material is on the floor of The Paradise. At the end of the film, with the experience of those he has helped in mind, he carefully removes his shoes, unlocks the door, walks on the floor and out into the snow. It is a gesture of final self-sacrifice.

At one stage in the film, one of the characters remarks that the time for saints living with lepers has passed. The clergyman disagrees – and so the film is akin to Christian characters like Damien of Molokai (see Paul Cox’s Molokai for this comparison) who elect to live and die with the suffering.

This is the journey of the clergyman, the effect of life in the institution, his faith, his religious sensibility, holiness, a living martyrdom, his choice.

1.The impact of the film? Character study? Grim situations? The religious dimension? Self-sacrifice?

2.The visuals of the institution, seeing it in the rain, the interiors and the corridors, the laboratory, the interview rooms, the exteriors and the soccer field, at night? The clergyman’s outside visits to families? The muted colour photography? The dark tones? Editing, score? The insertion of black and white sequences? The video material?

3.The title and the end? The explanation of what was The Paradise? The infection on the floor? The clergyman going barefoot? Unlocking the door, seeing the snow – the desire of one of the inmates before he died? The time for saints living with lepers? Heroism, holiness?

4.The framework and the remarks about time, the remarks about prayer? The experience, the routines? The flashback and the meaning of this ending? Giving the background for clergyman’s decision?

5.The audience not knowing anything about the clergyman? His decision, arrival in the rain, waiting at the gate, eventually let in, the soldier guiding him, the institution and the discussion about the disease, the incurables in their own ward? The attendant with his frozen face? The doctor and his explanations? Having nowhere to stay? The clergyman feeling welcome or not?

6.The role of the clergy, the role of the chaplaincy, on call, his devotion, capacity for listening, observing, in action with the range of people? His own prayer? Discussions about belief in God or not? The overall effect and his final motivation?

7.The doctor, his talk with the clergyman, the interviews with the patients, his stances? His own experiments, the rash on his arm, his taking the blood sample, examining it, doing the video, explaining about his illness? His motivation for alleviating the sufferings of others?

8.The soldier and his simplicity, guiding, on guard, the cigarettes and the clergyman throwing them away, his talking with the clergyman, the story about the girl, building the soccer field, the video camera? Wanting the clergyman’s help, bringing the girl over, the discussions – and the impact of the girl’s story, the father and the virgin, her coffin? The relationship of this to the girl and her being in the incurable ward? The soldier wanting to marry her, the clergyman’s promise? The soldier singing?

9.The silent man, the interviews, his adopted son, the attitude of his wife, not talking? Opening up to the clergyman? Setting himself on fire, the clergyman putting out the fire, burning his own hands? The aftermath and the visit to his son? The son coming to see him? The paper boat, the clergyman making it, the symbolism of it floating down the river?

10.The other man, his story, the clergyman listening, his wife’s visit, sharing the biscuits? His illness, the final discussions, wanting to see the snow? The story about the shoes? His death, being carried out, his hand touching the snow?

11.The woman who worked at the institution? Her son? Her friendliness, helping the clergyman? Her having to move – and the discussion about somebody who needed the job more than she did?

12.The soccer field, the joy, preparing it, the video camera, the playing?

13.The journey of the clergyman, the effect of life in the institution, his faith, his religious sensibility, holiness, living martyrdom, his choice?