“Eastwood” is not a simple film

Charso Press: According to the communication and information unit of the Center for the Development of Documentary, Experimental and Animated Cinema, a screening and discussion session about the documentary “Eastwood” by Alireza Rasoulinejad was held on Tuesday, July 28, at the center’s Haqirat hall. Moin Karimuddini was the director, moderator-expert of this meeting.

Karim al-Dini said at the beginning: I want to introduce this documentary with the title “Film-Jestar”, I don’t know how much the director agrees with this interpretation.

Rasoulinejad replied: The problem with this kind of movies is that there is no correct definition about them. Therefore, they may be a little indecisive, both in choosing festivals and in reviewing them. Even the supply, distribution and sale of these types of films have faced problems and are affected in this area. I will try to answer this question based on the experience of the last year and my attendance at festivals. This documentary was accepted in several documentary festivals and not festivals that screen several types of films. There are many differences of opinion about it and different interpretations. I believe more that the film is a hybrid documentary or michiumentary.

The director said: The film borrows elements from different genres, but it may not be a “film-quest” in the classical sense. Of course, it can also be based on the meanings and definitions of the film.

In another part of his speech, Karim Al-Dini said: My idea about the one-line narration of the film is that Eastwood is about human loneliness in a machine space. Do you agree with this impression?

Rasoulinejad replied: I am not against this opinion, this can also be the case. But this is not the whole story. Appreciation of the hometown, returning to the past, regrets and dreams, etc. can also be seen in the film. I show this return to the past with humor and playfulness. The main character puts a helmet on his head to prevent the past and memories from entering everywhere. At the same time, the film is a portrait documentary and we see people’s portraits in it. That’s why it’s hard for me to say what the movie is about. What you said is true and of course it is not the only one.

Karimaldini explained: The film has been accused by some of being touristy. Although it is not a tourist at all. The tourist film does not have a critical tone. On the other hand, the film does not even show the theme of return alone. This movie should be looked at more deeply. I think the filmmaker has decided to make a film about the situation of humans in a city, he has found an excuse for this idea. The excuse for this idea is a photo. Creating a hero and using him to advance the narrative. He creates a narrative that is neither a documentary nor a story. That’s why I say “Eastwood” is the film of Jestar. In this documentary, we are faced with a space that is between fiction, documentary and artistic cinema. The boldness of the filmmaker has given value to “Eastwood” in arranging the content. The arrangement of characters is important. The people of the film are supposed to transform the mental content of Alireza Rasoulinejad into the sequences that shape the film. I see this setup and I like it, a group of documentary critics may not like it. But in my opinion, this arrangement has formed the character of the film.

Continuing the discussion, Rasoulinjad said: I found some of the characters in the film, such as the karate kids or club people, theater kids and Eastwood that you see on the set and during the filming. This project had an open plan on which to be creative. For example, I knew the painter or Mr. Sharif for many years. If a character was not suitable for my mental space, I would bring another person from another place and give him that role. Some of the ideas, assembly time were removed and some were replaced.

The director said: The whole film is a flashback and a person shares a memory with others. When he looks back, he has a vague feeling about his hometown. But in this way, Goya gets to know his city, knows the characters, etc. The narrator is cautious and is like a stranger who does not know Sirjan. At the same time, he tells his story. This is also a travelogue. Therefore, this story should have some sweetness and humor that the audience would follow. Some things are fake. The material is documentary, but it is clear that the director has tampered with some things.

Rasoulinejad continued: This narrator is not like other narrators. He is dumb and confused and goes between people and characters in the movie with his mask. Everyone is busy and he is the one who looks sick and unemployed. What remains for him is this trip and travelogue.

In response to a question from one of the attendees about the narrator and the speech of the film’s text, director “Eastwood” said: I had used the narrator’s voice in my other films, then people criticized me that a professional narrator should not be used in a documentary. This is the first movie I used a friend of mine, he has a good voice and is not a professional announcer. In the film, the audience who doesn’t know me doesn’t know that it’s me, along with that discussion and the presence of a character who is masked and numb, I think the voice should be warm and audible. The voice that brings the audience along with the film. This contrast was attractive to me and the factor that moves the film forward. My own voice is not warm and attractive, so I did not read the text.

Continuing this explanation, Karimaldini said: The main character with a casket may look strange, but it becomes attractive over time. When a surreal character is chosen for a real space, the speaker’s tone should be appropriate for this character. Perhaps a more mysterious tone would be appropriate for this character. But the speaker’s expression is classic. It is interesting that none of the characters in the film takes a position or reacts to this casket hat.

Alireza Rasoulinejad replied: Ravi sees himself like this, he is telling his memories, others have not seen him like this. What you see in the movie is the past. It has passed in the past. As spectators, we see him with a casket hat and share in his reminiscence. If this had happened in reality, someone would have reacted to him. The hat is a trick for narrative and playfulness, there has never been a journey like this. I thought a lot about how the narrative should be. The main character is like a logo, a kind of sign. Our narrative is in the first person of the past.

Karim Al-Dini mentioned the film’s editing and shooting as its advantages and said: The director was able to find characters well and put forward his own words through them. The narrative of his film is deconstructive and attractive. In “Eastwood” we do not see human society and urban space. The film shows well how an urban society gets involved in the industrial and economic environment. The people in this movie are single.

The director “Eastwood” said about the tone of the film: It is not easy to make a film that has several tones in editing. The music and people of the film have a tone and they bring it into the film. Dear Arash Zahedi, the editor of the film, is also present here, I thank him for his company and good ideas. Eastwood’s narration does not have a stroke. Iranian and foreign audiences have seen the film in Warsaw, Denmark, Rome, etc., and have connected with it, despite the fact that this film is multi-toned.

At the end of the meeting, Moin Karim Aldini said: “Eastwood” is not a simple film. He uses the tools he designed to tell his story, it could be a simple tourist film or a story about a city and its people. “Eastwood” is not like the familiar patterns of documentary cinema these years.

At the end of this meeting, Alireza Rasoulinejad said: The most important tourist characteristic of Sirjan is its carpet. In “Eastwood” we don’t see a second or a single frame. If there is no carpet in this movie, it is intentional and I prefer not to explain about it. For me, the rug is a representation of the suffering and pain of the women who weave these rugs. If we see strength in the movie, it needs a story where the character eats this food to be strong. The elements in the film serve the narrative, and have nothing to do with tourism and showing Sirjan’s tourist attractions.

“Eastwood” documentary is a production of the Center for the Development of Documentary, Experimental and Animated Cinema and is shown in the “Truth Screening” project in Hashore system.