Page 47 - 1233
P. 47
English Section
47 The Slippers of Ozymandias: An Allegorical Reading of Bist
■ Kara Abdolmaleki and his employees his legs there while
catches the eye. Meisam has to sleep in
Mr. Soleimani pairs his slippers with His depression, the back of a bus and
pedantic care. The stationery items on his according to the Bijan spends the night
desk are arranged with ardent adherence psychiatrist, is caused dosing off behind the
to the laws of geometry and his employees by the fact that his wheel of the parked
1392 نیدرورف16 جمعه- 1233 شماره/ سال متسیب are efficiently worked to the last drop of shabby reception vanette. Later, from
energy. He is a meticulous perfectionist, hall is predominantly his conversation with
a reception hall owner, a despot and a booked for funerals his mother, we find
clinically morose individual. This is the and rarely for out that Bijan is an
story of Bist [Twenty] by Abdolreza weddings. This has innocent lad from a
Kahani. But behind this simple plot significantly affected small town who has
there is a shrewd and subtle allegory of the dynamic among moved to Tehran
the dynamic between Mr. Soleimani as a the characters. chasing the dream of
despotic owner of the reception hall and Early in the film, becoming a famous
his employees. we are shown two actor. He is the symbol
The film sets off with Mr. Soleimani snippets of a funeral of the suffering of the
being admonished by his psychiatrist and a wedding. artist in a backwarded
that, due to acute depression, he ought Surprisingly, in both, the staff’s They never miss a chance to disturb society. He tries very hard to find a
to gear his everyday activities towards a countenances are as grim and dejected. the mathematical organization of his window of opportunity through the
happier lifestyle or even sell the reception The acting, the languid rhythm and the desktop, when they are cleaning it, or to humdrum cycle of life but his lack of
hall. The psychiatrist’s office is more of noticeably melancholic music construct a use the company’s wrecked vanette truck expertise and the heavy burden of life
an interrogation room: We only hear gloomy setting in Bist. for personal gains. Nevertheless, if their send all his efforts down the drains.
the psychiatrist’s voice and watch Mr. With a combination of camera movement, rage does not find an outlet, they take the As the manager, Mr. Soleimani’s
Soleimani abjectly sitting on a chair in script-writing, music and acting, Kahani oppression out on the women, Firouzeh repugnance for positive change is
an empty white room while the camera shows us that in a lethargic milieu, and Fereshteh. beautifully portrayed in the ugliness of
is circling around him. It is obvious that efficiency would undoubtedly suffer a Customer service in Soleimani’s the dilapidated reception hall, the rusty
the psychiatrist is, in fact, the filmmaker. downturn. The employees, who at the reception hall is a big joke: In one of the kitchen and the wrecked vanette truck.
He is simultaneously revealing Mr. same time fear and abhor Mr. Soleimani, funeral scenes Bijan and Meisam knock a His reception hall is a microcosm for
Soleimani’s psyche and interrogating him try to make life as miserable as possible customer in the head with a box of drinks, a society under rigid despotism. He
for being the tyrant that he is. Soleimani is for him, in revenge of their low pay and while moving it over the dinner table. watches his subjects with unforgiving
depicted as a total failure in personal life. the inhuman conditions he has imposed Later Bijan refuses to provide another scrutiny, keeps record of every single
He lives alone, has no friends or family, on them. But, ironically, their own lives Canada Dry for a costumer, indicating mistake in a notebook and abuses them
In touch with Iranian diversity and the mutual disgust between him are rendered miserable in the process. that he has not finished his first yet. Upon financially, verbally and even physically.
the costumer’s objection, he empties Despite all this, his employees are very
the bottle on the floor and tells him, upset when they find out that he is going
“Now you need a second bottle”. The to sell the reception hall. They do their
reception hall is a social system whose utmost to prevent this from happening.
survival is hung from the thinnest hair of Through their efforts, something
Machiavellian oppression. inexplicable occurs. Soleimani’s starts
The extremely drab and melancholy to reveal a softer side: He allows his
music, accomplished by impeccably- estranged son to play at the reception
timed strikes on the Tar, along with the hall, invites Meisam and Bijan to sleep
eulogies from the funerals is countered in his apartment, lets Firouzeh bring her
by the very happy ringtone on Bijan’s child to work, and even refuses to sell
cell phones. Cell phones are very the reception hall. But, alas, all these so-
individualistic devices; hence, the called reforms take place when his time
rhythmic and gay ringtone can represent is already up. At Meisam and Firouzeh’s
Vol. 20 / No. 1233 - Friday, Apr. 5, 2013 the unbridgeable schism between a wedding, Babak finally finds the guts to
citizen’s lifestyle and the rigid norms tell Mr. Soleimani’s about being his son.
the state dictates. We also see how music He enters the room to find Mr. Soleimani
helps Kahani represent Mr. Soleimani’s lying lifeless in his bed. The film ends
estranged son, an accordion player, with the chef, singing a hopeful song
who struggles to introduce himself to about “the sound of music coming from
his father but never finds a chance. beyond the hills”. Mr. Soleimani’s death
The accordion hanging from the son’s is met with joy. His is replaced by his son,
neck is a symbol of social change. a more sympathetic, liberal and caring
Change is possible through art, through manager. What remains is a portrait of
cultural development; nevertheless, Mr. Soleimani, an image for the history books,
Soleimani refuses to accommodate him a visage of a modern day Ozymandias.
in the reception hall. When he finally His slippers are now carelessly cast on the
consents, it is already too late. carpet. No one cares about them paired
The traditional outlook towards anymore. Ozymandias’s reign of terror
management and incredulity for and mathematical perfection is over.
modernization drives Mr. Soleimani ------
to squander several minutes manually Kara Abdolmaleki is a doctoral
counting his stack of 20000 Rls bills student of Comparative Literature at
immediately after a perfectly fine the University of Alberta, Canada. His
counting machine has accomplished research interests include Lacanian
the task. He always deals with cash and Psychoanalysis, Critical Theory,
47 meticulously stores the stacks in a safe, Existential Philosophy, Modernity
where they would sit and gather dust. and Film Studies. Email: abdolmal@
He keeps the safe by his comfy king- ualberta.ca
sized bed. We see him slowly stretching
47 The Slippers of Ozymandias: An Allegorical Reading of Bist
■ Kara Abdolmaleki and his employees his legs there while
catches the eye. Meisam has to sleep in
Mr. Soleimani pairs his slippers with His depression, the back of a bus and
pedantic care. The stationery items on his according to the Bijan spends the night
desk are arranged with ardent adherence psychiatrist, is caused dosing off behind the
to the laws of geometry and his employees by the fact that his wheel of the parked
1392 نیدرورف16 جمعه- 1233 شماره/ سال متسیب are efficiently worked to the last drop of shabby reception vanette. Later, from
energy. He is a meticulous perfectionist, hall is predominantly his conversation with
a reception hall owner, a despot and a booked for funerals his mother, we find
clinically morose individual. This is the and rarely for out that Bijan is an
story of Bist [Twenty] by Abdolreza weddings. This has innocent lad from a
Kahani. But behind this simple plot significantly affected small town who has
there is a shrewd and subtle allegory of the dynamic among moved to Tehran
the dynamic between Mr. Soleimani as a the characters. chasing the dream of
despotic owner of the reception hall and Early in the film, becoming a famous
his employees. we are shown two actor. He is the symbol
The film sets off with Mr. Soleimani snippets of a funeral of the suffering of the
being admonished by his psychiatrist and a wedding. artist in a backwarded
that, due to acute depression, he ought Surprisingly, in both, the staff’s They never miss a chance to disturb society. He tries very hard to find a
to gear his everyday activities towards a countenances are as grim and dejected. the mathematical organization of his window of opportunity through the
happier lifestyle or even sell the reception The acting, the languid rhythm and the desktop, when they are cleaning it, or to humdrum cycle of life but his lack of
hall. The psychiatrist’s office is more of noticeably melancholic music construct a use the company’s wrecked vanette truck expertise and the heavy burden of life
an interrogation room: We only hear gloomy setting in Bist. for personal gains. Nevertheless, if their send all his efforts down the drains.
the psychiatrist’s voice and watch Mr. With a combination of camera movement, rage does not find an outlet, they take the As the manager, Mr. Soleimani’s
Soleimani abjectly sitting on a chair in script-writing, music and acting, Kahani oppression out on the women, Firouzeh repugnance for positive change is
an empty white room while the camera shows us that in a lethargic milieu, and Fereshteh. beautifully portrayed in the ugliness of
is circling around him. It is obvious that efficiency would undoubtedly suffer a Customer service in Soleimani’s the dilapidated reception hall, the rusty
the psychiatrist is, in fact, the filmmaker. downturn. The employees, who at the reception hall is a big joke: In one of the kitchen and the wrecked vanette truck.
He is simultaneously revealing Mr. same time fear and abhor Mr. Soleimani, funeral scenes Bijan and Meisam knock a His reception hall is a microcosm for
Soleimani’s psyche and interrogating him try to make life as miserable as possible customer in the head with a box of drinks, a society under rigid despotism. He
for being the tyrant that he is. Soleimani is for him, in revenge of their low pay and while moving it over the dinner table. watches his subjects with unforgiving
depicted as a total failure in personal life. the inhuman conditions he has imposed Later Bijan refuses to provide another scrutiny, keeps record of every single
He lives alone, has no friends or family, on them. But, ironically, their own lives Canada Dry for a costumer, indicating mistake in a notebook and abuses them
In touch with Iranian diversity and the mutual disgust between him are rendered miserable in the process. that he has not finished his first yet. Upon financially, verbally and even physically.
the costumer’s objection, he empties Despite all this, his employees are very
the bottle on the floor and tells him, upset when they find out that he is going
“Now you need a second bottle”. The to sell the reception hall. They do their
reception hall is a social system whose utmost to prevent this from happening.
survival is hung from the thinnest hair of Through their efforts, something
Machiavellian oppression. inexplicable occurs. Soleimani’s starts
The extremely drab and melancholy to reveal a softer side: He allows his
music, accomplished by impeccably- estranged son to play at the reception
timed strikes on the Tar, along with the hall, invites Meisam and Bijan to sleep
eulogies from the funerals is countered in his apartment, lets Firouzeh bring her
by the very happy ringtone on Bijan’s child to work, and even refuses to sell
cell phones. Cell phones are very the reception hall. But, alas, all these so-
individualistic devices; hence, the called reforms take place when his time
rhythmic and gay ringtone can represent is already up. At Meisam and Firouzeh’s
Vol. 20 / No. 1233 - Friday, Apr. 5, 2013 the unbridgeable schism between a wedding, Babak finally finds the guts to
citizen’s lifestyle and the rigid norms tell Mr. Soleimani’s about being his son.
the state dictates. We also see how music He enters the room to find Mr. Soleimani
helps Kahani represent Mr. Soleimani’s lying lifeless in his bed. The film ends
estranged son, an accordion player, with the chef, singing a hopeful song
who struggles to introduce himself to about “the sound of music coming from
his father but never finds a chance. beyond the hills”. Mr. Soleimani’s death
The accordion hanging from the son’s is met with joy. His is replaced by his son,
neck is a symbol of social change. a more sympathetic, liberal and caring
Change is possible through art, through manager. What remains is a portrait of
cultural development; nevertheless, Mr. Soleimani, an image for the history books,
Soleimani refuses to accommodate him a visage of a modern day Ozymandias.
in the reception hall. When he finally His slippers are now carelessly cast on the
consents, it is already too late. carpet. No one cares about them paired
The traditional outlook towards anymore. Ozymandias’s reign of terror
management and incredulity for and mathematical perfection is over.
modernization drives Mr. Soleimani ------
to squander several minutes manually Kara Abdolmaleki is a doctoral
counting his stack of 20000 Rls bills student of Comparative Literature at
immediately after a perfectly fine the University of Alberta, Canada. His
counting machine has accomplished research interests include Lacanian
the task. He always deals with cash and Psychoanalysis, Critical Theory,
47 meticulously stores the stacks in a safe, Existential Philosophy, Modernity
where they would sit and gather dust. and Film Studies. Email: abdolmal@
He keeps the safe by his comfy king- ualberta.ca
sized bed. We see him slowly stretching
