A look at the series “Lion’s skin” / in the name of father

Charso Press: The Mahmoudi brothers became known in Iranian cinema with “A Few Cubic Meters of Love”, a film that promised the emergence of new talents and is more popular than the other works of these two director-producer brothers. During these years, Jamshid and Navid made films and directed TV series. In all these works (despite the shortcomings of some of them) both of them tried to preserve their taste and look. It is natural that in cinema, they got closer to the themes and even the form they have in mind, most of their works are about Afghan immigrants and women’s issues, and they have shared their life experience and feelings as immigrants in most of their films.

“Lion’s Skin” directed by Jamshid Mahmoudi has a completely different atmosphere from the previous and often shared experiences of the Mahmoudi brothers. A suspenseful police drama that is very well and professionally made compared to the domestic examples and keeps the audience with it. The first advantage of “Lionskin” compared to most TV series is that it has identity and originality. It does not make heroes out of petty criminals and bigots by showing too much violence and lampoonism, nor by depicting the aristocratic and glamorous life of the affluent class, in the style of Turkish series, it narrates several romantic and sometimes unconventional stories at the same time.

“Lionskin” portrays the familiar story of the father of a lost child and a policeman who has a personal problem in the form of a narrative full of details and believable characters. The story line is almost unpredictable so far, which makes watching each episode more interesting. The well-thought-out views of each part, the believable atmosphere of Meshakat’s office and the interrogation scenes and Meshakat’s relationship with the defendants (the chapter where the accused eats and Meshakat shows him the photo of the burnt body of Sahil) put “Lionskin” head and shoulders above similar Iranian examples. Is. Jamshid Mahmoudi’s series has one of the best actors, Shahab Hosseini in the role of Meshkat, after many years shows off his acting power. The slow movements of his eyes and face and his decisive and calm tone have added value to the well-written character of Mashkat, and it is unbelievable to imagine this role without Hosseini. The joint sequences of Hosseini and Hadi Hejazifar (Naim) are especially memorable in the sixth episode and the dialogues of both about law and knowledge. “Lionskin” has been effective wherever it approaches its many and diverse characters. The meeting chapter of Sadra (Mehrdad Siddiquian) and Sahil (Paridis Ahmadiyya) is well written and performed, as much as the sequence of Sadra’s encounter with the photo of Sahil’s corpse in the police station and his reaction is shocking. The relationship between Mozhgan (Zhila Shahi) and Reza (Alireza Kamali) does not fade away in the middle of the main story and its charms, the loneliness and desire of a woman, Reza’s male world and his disciple-moradi relationship with Naeem show the emotional relationships and relationships of a part of society. The filmmaker’s subtle emphasis on details, such as Reza’s bleeding and the trail of blood that remains on his hand, are completely cinematic and far from the verbiage and excesses of Iranian serials. The series that want to make the audience understand about everything, and the only thing they don’t pay attention to is the image and visual representation of the events and the characters’ conditions.

“Lionskin” as a police series, has a believable atmosphere of the process of police activity and its work environment. Meshkat’s two assistants, especially the officer played by Behzad Khalaj, are not just accessories, unlike similar examples, and create a part of the police department’s atmosphere. “Lion Skin” is a turning point in Jamshid Mahmoudi’s filmmaking career, moving away from past experiences and entering a new world is a big step for him, and it’s good that this step has been taken successfully.