Atomic Heart

Madare Ghalb Atomi

DIRECTOR: Ali Ahmadzadeh   COUNTRY: Iran   YEAR: 2015   LANGUAGE(S): Persian  SUBTITLES: English   RUNNING TIME: 96 min  

SECTION: International Forum 2015

SYNOPSIS

Arineh and Nobaha cause a car accident on their way back from a wild party. A mysterious stranger who goes by the name of Toofan offers to cover the costs. They will cross his path again during the course of the night. This road movie through Tehran by night begins as a highly charged, stoner comedy that makes fun of the authorities, interprets the cultural history of Western toilets, and postulates other audacious intercultural theories; but gradually the atmosphere changes.

The car is a popular setting in Iranian cinema. It moves through the public sphere, yet its occupants remain among themselves. But what happens if a policeman suddenly gets into the car, finds DVDs bought on the black market in the glovebox and forces you to admit, tipsily, that ARGO is a film that is hostile to Iran? The film is clearly anchored in Iran’s present and yet becomes visibly meditative and spooky: The tension in the car rises because of Toofan who keeps appearing out of the blue. He plays a diabolical game with the two friends, a game that crosses the boundaries into the metaphysical realm.

ALI AHMADZADEH
Ali Ahmadzadeh was born in Tehran, Iran in 1986. After earning a degree in Architecture he studied Music at the Neinava University of Music Sciences in Teheran. He also graduated in Film Direction from the Young Cinema Society. ATOMIC HEART is his first feature-length film.

FILMOGRAPHY
Pinned (2007), Advantage (2009), Collage (2011), Zanjan (2012), Kami’s Party (2013), Atomic Heart (2015)

SCRIPT: Ali Ahmadzadeh, Mani Baghbani   PRODUCER: Amir Seyedzadeh   CAMERA: Ashkan Ashkani   EDITORS: Ali Ahmadzadeh, Ehsan Vaseghi   MUSIC: Sahand Mehdizadeh   CAST: Pegah Ahangarani Farahani, Mohammad Reza Golzar, Mehrdad Sedighiyan, Taraneh Alidoosti

PRODUCTION: Afrand Film   WORLD SALES: Nasrine Medard De Chardon, Dreamlab Films