Ten

2002
MK2 SA
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Length: 90 min.
Format: DVD
Date Viewed: 14 January

Filming the mundane, everyday world in a flat, verite style is very difficult in that it can easily become tedious. There seems to be no reason as the why one film in this style works and another doesn't, and I would venture a guess that the reason is entirely subjective. It boils down to whether or not the viewer is personally interested in the problems and emotions being presented. Kiarostami's Ten, unfortunately, did not interest me overall, though a couple of the vignettes worked for me. Whereas in Camel(s), I spent ninety minutes of a couple on a weekend with nothing to say to each other completely riveted and nearly on the edge of my seat, Ten, with its circular arguments and repetitive dialogue and segments, kept my toe tapping and my eyes on my watch. The style of Ten, boiled down to the extreme essentials of only three camera angles (one of which is only used once) and seven non-professional actors is certainly interesting, as is the subject of feminism and liberation for women in a society that often traps them behind closed doors. Too bad the film as a whole could not sustain my interest.