Cast: Behzad Khodaveisi, Fatemeh Azrah, Alireza Haji-Ghasemi, Ramazan Molla-Abbasi
Director: Ebrahim Forouzesh
Screenplay: Ebrahim Forouzesh based on a story by Hushang Moradi Kermani
Cinematography: Iraj Safavi
Music: Mohammad-Reza Aligholi
In Farsi with subtitles
Just what everyone is waiting to see: a motion picture about fixing a cracked water jar -- nearly ninety minutes of a dull, plodding script that tries hard to match the experience of watching cement dry. The Jar is a film without a subtext -- what you see is what you get, and it ain't much. This is a ten minute short that someone attempted to drag out to feature length. The result is predictably sleep-inducing.
A children's school in the Iranian desert has a large water jar in the yard that allows students easy access for drinks (the alternative being a short walk to a nearby brook). When the jar develops a crack, the children, their teacher, and the community as a whole band together to find an alternative. First, attempts are made to patch the leak. When that doesn't work, a collection is taken to buy a new jar. This is basically the entire storyline. Along the way, a few stabs are made at developing a relationship between the teacher and his pupils, but this is a pale, feeble echo of the kind of interaction depicted in a movie like Ciao Professore!
Theoretically, we're supposed to care whether these people get a new jar, but the resolution becomes of less interest as the running time balloons. There is no character development to speak of, and the acting is consistently subpar (most of the performers are amateurs, and it shows). All we get is a bunch of screaming kids who exhibit "rowdy" behavior, get involved in petty fights, and disobey their teacher. This is a highly irritating group of youngsters; the effect of their high- pitched voices is akin to raking nails across a blackboard.
In general, Iranian films seem to be slowly-paced, but at least in the works of a respected director like Abbas Kiarostami, we are presented with characters to care about and situations that fascinate. The Jar wanders -- sometimes quite aimlessly -- and the few weak attempts at humor do little to keep the audience's attention. By the end of this film, you're not likely to have much invested in whether or not the problem is solved. You'll just be happy to see the end credits roll.
© 1995 James Berardinelli