Watch Closed Curtain

Closed Curtain is a thought-provoking Iranian drama film that tells the story of a reclusive screenwriter who takes refuge from the outside world in a secluded villa by the sea. Written and directed by Jafar Panahi and Kambuzia Partovi, who also stars in the film, it's a daring artistic statement that speaks to the stifling political climate in Iran where artists face persecution for their work.

The film is divided into two parts, with the first half unfolding as a fictional story. We see a man, played by Kambuzia Partovi, arrive at a luxurious villa along with his dog. He's clearly intent on being alone and shuts the curtains, draws the blinds, and covers all the windows in the house. As the days pass, he goes about his routine, which involves taking care of his dog, writing, and watching the news on his television.

Soon, he is joined by a young woman played by Maryam Moghadam, who enters the villa uninvited. She's on the run from the authorities and seeks refuge in the villa. The writer is initially hostile and does not want her there, but over time he warms up to her and they form an uneasy bond based on their shared isolation and love of cinema.

As they spend more time together, we get a glimpse into the difficulties of being an artist in Iran. They are both creatives who have been affected by the political climate in different ways. The man is a screenwriter who is prohibited from writing due to censorship, and the woman is an actor who has been banned from performing on stage. They talk about their struggles with censorship and persecution and how it has affected their creative work.

The second half of the film takes a surreal and meta turn as the filmmakers break the fourth wall and appear in the film themselves. We see Jafar Panahi and Kambuzia Partovi themselves, frantically scurrying around the villa and putting up curtains and blinds to shield themselves from the outside world. They're being chased by the authorities and are hiding from the police.

This portion of the film is more experimental, and we see elements of magical realism as the lines between reality and fiction are blurred. The filmmakers are using the film as a way to express their frustration with the Iranian authorities' censorship of art and their persecution of artists. The film ends on a challenging and open-ended note, leaving the audience to draw their conclusions about what it all means.

Overall, Closed Curtain is a film that demands attention and reflection. It's a political and personal statement about the struggles of being an artist in Iran, and it speaks to the universal theme of the power of art as a means of expression and resistance. It's a film that is both bleak and hopeful at the same time, and it's an excellent addition to the canon of Iranian cinema.

Closed Curtain is a 2013 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 46 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.5 and a MetaScore of 81.