Jafar Panahi is a beloved Iranian filmmaker, whose films are consistently mentioned as the "best of the year" when released here in the States. He's certainly a director I've heard/read great things about, but I was never previously able to access any of his films. That has finally changed now that his newest docufiction Taxi (no, not the Jimmy Fallon + Queen Latifah one) has been added to Netflix.
The reason the film community loves Panahi so much is that he's technically making films illegally! In December of 2010, Panahi was convicted by the Iranian government, who viewed his earlier film work as "propaganda against the system," and he's now currently facing a 20 YEAR BAN from writing scripts, directing films, giving interviews, or leaving the country. However, this ban hasn't stopped him from creating art. He secretly made the documentary This Is Not a Film while waiting for his appeal to be approved (an appeal that was not granted to him). That film was then smuggled outside of Iran on a USB drive hidden inside of a cake (NO, I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!!!) and it went on to premiere at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
Panahi was also able to make the drama Closed Curtain, which made the festival round in 2013, before making his newest film Taxi. It's a docufiction, meaning that the line between nonfictional and fictional elements in the film are blurred, if not completely nonexistent. In the film, Panahi plays himself, and he drives a taxi around town, picking up strangers (some of whom recognize and admire him) and family members. The conversational topics in the taxi range from movies to politics to simply life itself. I'm genuinely not sure which story lines are real or which are not (or if in fact they are all fictionalized and Panahi simply found brilliantly restrained actors), and, to be honest, I don't really feel like figuring that out since the truth may lessen the wonderful impact of this incredibly original film!
After finishing Taxi, I immediately understood Panahi's appeal. He's one of the most daring and provocative artists in the world right now, and he's displaying his rebellion by simply making a sweet, relaxed, and even strangely comforting picture. I can't wait to continue diving more into his work!
Taxi is currently streaming on Netflix!
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