Sadly Over-hyped

Highly Overrated But Still Good

As Good As It Gets

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Gabbeh (1996) is an Iranian film written and directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. It stars the extraordinary Shaghayeh Djodat as Gabbeh. Her name in Persian is the word for the woven rugs made by the women of her nomadic tribe.The plot of this film is hard to describe. Gabbeh is a young woman, who may or may not be the beloved of a mysterious horseman. However, there's an old man who may or may not have been that horseman when he was younger. It's not exactly fantasy. I think it's closer to magical realism.However, the plot isn't the key to this movie. The key is color. The rugs are colorful, the land is colorful, the plants used to make the dyes for the wool are colorful, and the children are taught colors in school along with their arithmetic.The film also gives us a glimpse into a life that is almost unimaginable to us. I'm not a scholar, so I don't know whether this nomadic lifestyle is still present 20 years after the movie was completed. It's not a glimpse into Eden--it's a harsh, patriarchal society. However, it's a fascinating look at a very different world."Gabbeh" cries out to be seen in a theater on a large screen . It's shot almost completely outdoors, and the scenery is spectacular. However, unless you're really lucky, you'll probably have to see it on the small screen, and make do with that. It's available on DVD, and it's worth the effort to find it and enjoy it.Note: Another great Iranian film is "Close-Up," directed by Abbas Kiarostami. (I reviewed it for IMDb.) In that film, a young man is arrested because he has convinced a family that he is the filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf. That's how I learned about Makhmalbaf, and that's what made me purchase this DVD.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Gabbeh, an Iranian film which chronicles the complex life of a young girl and her family who live in the mountains of Iran herding goats, is told with such conviction and simplicity, that it is hard not to fall in love with this film.The narrative displays non-Western conventions, while remaining simple and easy to follow for a Western audience. It is actually quite refreshing to see a film that is told in the way Gabbeh is told.The content of the film is brilliant, with themes of nature, life's beauty and misfortune and complex family relationships. The use of color, which is arguably one of the most unique and interesting features of this film, warrant at least one viewing, if not multiple. Also, using the rug, or, gabbeh, as the film's centerpiece is a wonderful visual anchor, and reads well for a Western audience.If the story is not enough to sell this film, the cinematography more than makes up for any mistakes this film has. The film is short enough that the pastoral imagery remains beautiful and not boring or simplistic, but is interjected in the film enough that it remains a focal point which pushes the film forward in many aspects.Overall, a must-see. Absolutely one of the best films I've ever watched.

The movie Gabbeh is an Iranian film directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf features a mythical young woman longing to be married to the horseback stranger from another clan. Gabbeh is a magical, colorful love story filmed in Iran with the dialect spoken in their native tongue. There are subtitle in the film but the dialog is kept to minimum. The young woman, Gabbeh, is played by Shaghayeh Djodat. However she is not permitted to marry him until her uncle played by Abbas Sayah marries before she does. This mythical young woman appears when an elderly couple goes through their routine of cleaning their gabbeh, while squabbling gently with each other. Magically the young woman appears and helps them to clean the rug. This young woman belongs to the clan whose history is depicted in the design of the gabbeh, and the rug recounts the story of the courtship of the young woman by a stranger from the clan. The girl's story is almost like a fairytale but in actuality encompasses the old woman's real-life struggle with daily life and accomplishing her aspiration of matrimony. Makhmalbaf's uses this film to show his impassioned analysis of poverty, the oppressiveness of tradition or the loneliness of women in a patriarchal society in Iran. He hides his analysis by the usage of color which is prevalent throughout the whole movie. The vibrant colors that the women wear in the movie are a source of solidarity for women and give them an outlet to express themselves in the patriarchal society. This passionate love story offers a glimpse into a society that as Westerners we know little about and have many misconceptions about. This Iranian film is the 1st I have seen from the region and has definitely spurred my interest in seeing more films from this director.

Mystic Iranian pic is at once a treat and an elusive puzzle. Just what writer/director Makhmalbaf was trying to say here is a complete mystery to me, such is his intricate use of symbolism and suggestion. Perhaps this is a reflection of age old Iranian culture, but it is a culture I have precious little understanding of.Our director has woven a tale as tightly as the Gabbehs the film seems to be about. Occassinally fascination draws you in, but mostly one is left admiring the scenery and the unusual style.Cameraman Mahmoud Kalri captures the attention, and Hossein Maharami's turn as a lovelorn old man is a most amusing one.Monday, June 1, 1998 - Hoyts Croydon