Bab'Aziz

Bab'Aziz - a movie by Nacer Khemir (2005)

A blind dervish (Bab'Aziz) took his granddaughter (Ishtar) on a journey through the desert for a great gathering of dervishes that happens once in thirty years. The place of the gathering is unknown and the sand storms change each day the position of dunes. The only guide is the faith of the old.

To entertain the little Ishtar, Grandpa tells her a story about a prince who contemplated his soul in the mirror of a small pool... till he forgot the visible world and became a dervish.

There are sudden encounters in their journey through desert: one guy is in search of the killer of his brother, another one is in search of his love... And each of them has a story to tell, just to entertain little Ishtar.

Sometimes they encounter other dervishes, going to the same gathering: only each of them follows a different direction. It seems that the gathering would be in spirit rather than in some geographical place.

Images are of a haunting beauty: the immensity of the desert, the rare trees, birds, rocks trying to make their life there, the sudden oasis with houses made of clay, the paradox of ghost houses surrounded by myriads of people, the mosque, unexpected and weird, like the church from Tarkovski's Stalker.

The music is great, and makes the movie a ballad: it is like the songs make the statement and images and dialog just emphasize. Of course songs are not translated, but give you the mood.

It is not easy at all to follow the story: it comes from a very different culture, with its own rhythms, its own poetry, its own logical connections. For us it is like floating in plain paradox.

For those who haven't seen it yet, think at the movies of Parajanov. It is not an easy movie, but if you overcome the difficulties, you'll get the incomparable beauty of the story.

There are moments that do not come often to us - we should be prepared for them. Encounter with love, with death. Death as the way to enter the great realm that we lost at birth.

And the granddaughter, learning this lesson of life on the way, along with us, who are watching the movie and follow her journey.

Great movie!




(Sufi)

(Iranian Film and Poetry)