Film Reviews

No One Knows About Persian Cats

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• Details: Iran / 106mins (12A).

I can honestly say, without hyperbole, that No One Knows About Persian Cats is the greatest film ever made about contemporary underground Iranian indie rock. Inspired in some respect by Persepolis, this sometimes-funny but ultimately tragic drama explores how tough it is to just play some tunes in Tehran.
Negar and Ashkan are two budding musicians attempting to assemble a band and the correct, if illegally obtained, paperwork so they can leave Iran to perform a gig in London. That's a near-impossible task as it is, but the two have decided to go all-out by hosting a clandestine gig incorporating other secret alternative rock bands before they leave. It's a brave undertaking and Negar and Ashkan employ the help of motormouth promoter/fixer/smuggler Nader (Behdad) to secure the passports, tickets and band interviews... But is he all talk, or can he deliver?
The plot is barely there and what's there is very episodic - Negar and Ashkan sneak around the city listening to whomever they can round up in a Magnificent Seven/Blues Brothers style - but the story is just an excuse to raise the profile of the underground music coming out of Iran and the lengths bands have to go to, braving fines, lashes and jail time, to do that. Baham Ghobadi's film stresses that there are no political or anti-Islamic messages in the music, as Negar points out, "We just want to make music." And what music it is - the soundtrack is booming with the Beatles, Joy Division, Arctic Monkeys and Blues influences. There's even a hip-hop group.
The tone of the film is surprisingly upbeat considering the constant threat surrounding the characters, each playing a version of themselves in a non-pro cast. The amateur actors that fill out the rest of the cast are as talented off the stage as they are on it. The only bona fida actor on show giving any amount of screen time is Hamed Behdad, and he's in scenery-chewing form. A much-needed comic relief, every time music isn't the focus and his Nader takes centre state, the film sparkles.

Review by Gavin Burke