Iranian FF review - THE LAST STEP by Ali Mosaffa

A recently deceased man becomes the narrator of the events leading up to his death in Ali Mosaffa's remarkable film The Last Step - his first film in seven years, which was shown at the 4th Festival of Iranian Films in Prague.
 
It is heartbreaking to consider the amount of films that never quite end up having the life in worldwide distribution they so clearly deserve after a critically acclaimed festival run. A drastic example of such films is Ali Mosaffa's The Last Step, which despite its clear potential at appealing an international arthouse audience - particularly a European one - never enjoyed the distribution it deserved. The film revolves around the events leading up to the death of a man named Khosro and its aftermath. Particularly involved in the story are the man's wife Lily, an actress we first meet as she performs a scene that portrays her reaction to her 'cinematic' husband's death which she seems unable to complete due to repetitive corpsing, and his friend and doctor. The two have reasons to feel guilt and resentment for the death of the husband, and this is revealed as the plot thickens throughout its involving unravelling.
 
Apart from being a wonderful drama, with power enhanced by the excellent performances - out of which the excellent Leila Hatami comes off particularly well with a strong performance that leaves room for ambiguity and treasures the enigmatic nature of her character's personality with grace and elegance - the film is characterised by its impressive array of elements and layers that constantly engage the audience by broadening its narrative horizons. This is a film that, with its intelligence, challenges the conventionalities of the dramatic genre constantly and in a most impressive of ways.

 

For starters, The Last Step is shot on film, and therefore looks stunning. The cinematography too, with its meticulous movements and flowing pace, infuses a certain dreamlike atmosphere that enhances its profound nature. Inevitably, however, it is easy for a viewer to be actively engaged with the film because there is an area of mystery about it. That is not to say that the film is thrilling, but rather that the development of the emotions is so carefully studied and thought out that any of its alterations come across as gripping and intense. The screenplay, after all is excellent and it's particularly impressive to notice the open references to the stories The Dead by James Joyce and The Death of Peter Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - tasteful references wonderfully fitted within the distinctive language of Iranian cinema but never overrule the characteristics of Mosaffa's original subject with obviousness, as one would fear. In fact, the juxtapositions of these celebrated works of classic literature boldly make one think that it is within inspired Iranian cinema works such as these that the spirit of classic literature, with their stark honest accentuations and enhancement of the wordy platonic side of relationship - be it between man and woman or even friends - can be found.
 
The juxtaposition is made all the more engaging by the fact that the film openly lives out its cinematic depth. While the use of narration and the characters recall the cinema of Ingmar Bergman, which would doubtlessly have served the film well on a European market, the relentless descent in alienation experienced by the central character of Khosro himself reminds us of Michelangelo Antonioni. In the filmmaking sequences, through twists and turns of the use of such an element within the storyline itself, we can even chance the spotting of a reference of Fellini. Yet, the film is far from being a total work of breezy fiction, and aside from the genuineness of the psychological side of the story come rather blunt depictions of the socio political culture of Iran and the inevitable markings that its heritage have on marking the lives of people.
 
Upon seeing a film like The Last Step, one simply feels the need to ask himself why in the world a film that looks so beautiful and constantly reveals such intelligence and uniqueness with its language, nature and story is one of those films that is not getting the right attention it deserves. Mosaffa's film is simply remarkable, a work that flirts with humour, melancholia and even mystery. A work that begs with parallels from various figures of all branches of the art, due to its disharming synergy - which rarely ever works so well. And finally, a film that with its constant show of creativity will probably have plenty more surprises to show for itself upon repeated viewings.