Based on a short story by Houshang Golshiri, this film centers on mysterious and chilling events that take place in a village. A group of superstitious inhabitants have erected a scarecrow for protection but soon find themselves terrorized by it. Made at the end of the Shah’s reign, the film offers a metaphorical reflection on power relations — how people create their own idols who turn around to terrorize them.
Sayehaye bolande bad
France
Source: IMDB (Cannes)
France
This atmospheric and deeply unsettling folk horror takes place beyond the midst of Iran's most tumultuous sociopolitical era. Made during a time of great instability, it draws inspiration from Houshang Golshiri's short story, 'First Innocent,' showcasing director Bahman Farmanara's evident admiration for the writer's works. An irrational belief in totemism serves as a poignant reflection of the emotional and spiritual fragility of a society forced to revisit its medieval origins. This leisurely and contemplative horror film captivates with its play of shadows, haunting sounds, deceptively gentle hues, lingering static shots, and profound allegories, overshadowing any paranormal activity within the frame. Restless yet poetic, it's a fine work that might have eluded me for over a decade had it not been for the remarkable brevity of Avirup's review.
A scarecrow scaring the shit out of a village full of highly superstitious, anxious, hysteric and fearful people. Some sort of a political allegory; works so well on psychological level. There's nothing overtly supernatural but it does a great job of creating a haunting and paranoid atmosphere out of nothing with a constant sense of dread and uneasiness.
Magical ethno-realism sliding toward folk horror: in a prehistoric village just off the highway from the bus lines, djinn activity starts taking shape, feeding off the villagers' always-already hagridden anxieties. Ultimately, the scarecrow in a field outside their gates becomes the focus of their terrors.
A few simple sound effects, an occasional scream from off-camera; this does an awful lot with next to no resources...
Banned by both the Shah and the incredibly reactionary Khomeini government, “Tall Shadows of the Wind” is a very blunt horror film using the scarecrow that terrorizes the villagers as a metaphor for the Iranian ruling class and its tactics of exploiting people’s ignorance as its own weapon. The opening sequence and the climax may easily point to the idea of demythologizing the regime and its dangers, but the claustrophobic atmosphere is more likely to evoke the methods of Iranian secret police (SAVAK) backed by the CIA. It was adapted from “First Innocent” of Houshang Golshiri, a writer who got into jail in 1962 due to his affiliation with members of Tudeh Party (Iranian communist party), so that can explain…
a fire alarm went off, we needed to evacuate and the film start was delayed by 40 minutes, yet by the end of the film i had already almost forgotten about what happened before because the film was so enrapturing
brand new restoration, and one probably done off a positive print considering how much it looked like a theatrical print (amazing!!!). colours popped, just perfect grain and the cinematography was so beautiful. so glad i didn't watch this on the dvd rip a few years ago (been meaning to watch this film for a while) because this was a magical experience. feel so lucky to be in one of the first audiences to see this version of the film.
the…
Definitely feel like I'm missing an allegory here. Most of this went way over my head, a sensation that I had slept through something important or the cultural context was lost.
The closest I got to a meaning was the line in the MIFF synopsis "villagers terrorised by a scarecrow they themselves have planted", about the way we make monsters. Yet are unable to stop the terror of something we create, unable to imagine the horror it will bring. This gets a bit too surreal in places, several times it leans into the more existentialist horror of The Exterminating Angel (they can't kill the scarecrow because they just can't) when something more concrete might have worked better.
Two absolutely stunning…
Had trouble grasping the central metaphor, perhaps because the scarecrows never stopped looking funny. An overbearing score is no match for their big fuzzy moustaches. How come so many retro screenings at MIFF have auto-generated subtitles?
"the sea is jealous of the depth of the well from which you have drunk"--
this curious tale concerns a group of superstitious villagers that grow to fear and then worship the scarecrow they've erected to protect their fields -- once a local character has drawn a face on it. although he maintains that the creature has no power, proving it is more perilous than he suspects. the obvious parallel to a population's relationship to the power structure of their government wasn't lost on censors of radically different regimes - it was banned both pre and post revolution in iran. the absolutely eerie atmosphere is possibly even enhanced by the murky quality of the extant print-- even if it's a bit frustrating too
If the scarecrow is so menacing then why did someone draw a cute little face on it? Who can stay mad at that face
Kind of a 'duh' moment realizing Iranian cinema would perfectly suit a slow burn folk horror movie. Reminiscent of a lot of 'THAT THING OVER THERE IS REALLY MENACING' horror stories but laced with a lot of politics and cultural nuance that makes it a cut above. I can admit I couldn't follow all the imagery or ideas but evil scarecrows speak an international language.
MIFF 2024
Film #19
Ugh I loved this so much. The unsettling folk horror complimented perfectly by the gorgeous visuals.
So incredibly special to be able to view this film, banned twice in Iran, and throughout I began to understand why the government desired to suppress it (a compliment to film). It felt like a criticism on blind unquestioning following, and the passive acceptance of circumstance.
