The Time-Bending Mysteries Of Shahram Mokri Blu-Ray Review – A Fascinating Collection Of International Cinema

What is Time? What is Memory? Are we in the past or present — or some strange, unknowable hybrid of the two haunted by arsonists, bloodsuckers, serial killers and phantom images of our own selves? The films of Iranian director Shahram Mokri straddle the line between genre and arthouse cinema, whether Moebius strip-like meditations on classic 1970s American slasher films (FISH & CAT), political thrillers (CARELESS CRIME), 1980s New Wave sci-fi/vampire movies (INVASION), or offbeat Jarmusch-meets-Tarantino indie mysteries (ASHKAN, THE HOLY RING & OTHER STORIES). It’s small wonder that Abbas Kiarostami in his last film, 24 FRAMES, left a cryptic message on screen in Persian that simply read: “Shahram Mokri.”

ASHKAN, THE CHARMED RING AND OTHER STORIES (ASHKAN, ANGOSHTAR-E MOTEBAREK VA DASTAN-HAYE DIGAR), 2008, Iran (Deaf Crocodile, U.S.), 92 min. Director Shahram Mokri’s first feature is a delightfully offbeat B&W comedy about the mysterious workings of Fate, played out in deadpan Jim Jarmusch-like vignettes. Two blind jewel thieves, a young man who can’t succeed at killing himself, a love-struck police officer and two female morgue attendants find their lives interconnected when an unusual fish is set free and a charmed ring is moved. Watch for sly references to film noir classics including LE SAMOURAI and KISS ME DEADLY in this wonderful and eccentric Iranian gem. With: Saieed Ebrahimifar, Sina Razani, Reza Behboudi, Siamak Safari, Ali Sarabi, Pegah Tabasinejad

FISH & CAT (MAHI VA GORBEH), 2013, Iran (Deaf Crocodile, U.S.), 134 min. A group of attractive young Iranian kite-flying enthusiasts gather at a dismal lake, near a restaurant where two sinister characters straight out of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE are serving up grisly fare. Shahram Mokri’s breakout second feature is an unclassifiably brilliant, single-shot meditation on 1970s American slasher films like FRIDAY THE 13th but filtered through a purely art-house lens. Eerie, circular and overwhelmingly mysterious, with strange and unexpected tangents, weird tales of phantom lights, and an insistent, repetitive dream logic, FISH & CAT is a “horror” film in the same way Tarkovsky’s STALKER is “science fiction.” With Babak Karimi, Saeed Ebrahimifar, Abed Abest, Ainaz Azarhoush.

INVASION, 2017, Iran (Deaf Crocodile, U.S.), 102 min. Director Shahram Mokri’s third and most formally challenging film continues the time-bending, single-shot experimentation of FISH & CAT (and later, CARELESS CRIME) in a science-fiction / detective / vampire story, with nods to stylized 1980s New Wave-era films like LIQUID SKY. Sometime in the future, teams of tattooed athletes play a vaguely defined sport in an ominous, labyrinthine stadium where a murder has taken place. When police try to reconstruct the crime, teammates of the murdered man force his vampiric twin sister to assume his identity, in hopes of killing her off too. But all too soon time, identity and the bonds of reality break down in another of Mokri’s fascinating, genre-defying creations. With Abed Abest, Babak Karimi, Elaheh Bakhshi, Behzad Dorani.

CARELESS CRIME (JENAYAT-E BI DEGHAT), 2020, Iran, 134 min.One of the most dazzling and enigmatic films in recent memory, Iranian director Shahram Mokri’s mind-bending mystery leapfrogs between past and present, fact and fiction to create an unforgettable picture of Time not as a straight line, but as an elastic, constantly spinning Moebius strip.Inspired by a real-life tragedy, the infamous Cinema Rex fire in 1978 that triggered the Iranian Revolution, CARELESS CRIME follows three “timelines” – of arsonists planning to burn down a movie theatre; of workers and students at the cinema; and of characters within the film screening at the cinema – which may or may not all be happening at the same time.Comparisons abound, to the work of Chris Marker (LA JETEE), to Hitchcock’s VERTIGO, to Wojciech Has’s THE SARAGOSSA MANUSCRIPT, but Mokri’s film is a magnificent, multi-faceted puzzlebox all its own.Time and the way Cinema represents it are really the main characters in CARELESS CRIME, alternately reinforcing and frustrating each other – all fueled by a tragedy so ferocious that it’s literally burned a hole through the fabric of reality. (In Persian with English subtitles.) Winner of the Bisato d’Oro Award for Best Original Screenplay at the 77th Venice Film Festival.

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Video Quality

The Time-Bending Mysteries of Shahram Mokri arrives on Blu-Ray with four films spread across four individual discs in a 1080p presentation that allows each film to reach its visual potential. While a little over a decade separates the films in this set, the visual quality stays fairly consistent, so the quartet will be evaluated as a group with any notable differences addressed. The biggest outlier is Ashkan, The Charmed Ring and Other Stories, which has a disclaimer before the presentation to note that the film was shot on video at 25 frames per second and subsequently converted to 24 fps to meet international standards. This was achieved by removing one frame per second. While we did notice this at certain points, the presentation overwhelmingly stands in the positive category. It is also the only film in black and white, which helps smooth over some of the budgetary limitations of this feature debut. 

Otherwise, the remaining features are favorably rendered to delight the senses. These movies do not dazzle with a collage of sumptuous hues, but the shades that are present come through with the necessary presence. Highlights hold together with no instances of blooming, and the black levels do not stumble with any significant crush, banding, or compression artifacts. Each narrative takes place in a unique space, from the expansiveness of the forest in Fish & Cat to the claustrophobia of the facility in Invasion.  No matter the locale, the transfers deliver valuable texture within the environment that adds depth to the frame. Skin tones are consistent and natural all around. You may spot some budgetary constraints, but Mokri is admirably represented with this set. 

Audio Quality

These Blu-Ray discs come with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track for every film in the original languages, except for Ashkan, which only has a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio soundtrack. Every sonic option translates the intended experience thoughtfully. The sound design gets more complex the deeper we get into Mokri’s career, yet it never struggles with precision, with sounds deployed capably in the mix. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever being bulldozed by parallel elements. Mokri is not a particularly kinetic filmmaker, but occasional activity in the low end adds some texture to key moments. The environmental effects create a lived-in soundscape that makes the space feel more authentic. This is a fine audio presentation from Deaf Crocodile. Optional English subtitles are provided.

Special Features

• Q&A with Director Shahram Mokri: An extensive, four-part Q&A is provided, with one part allocated to each disc, in which the filmmaker discusses his early life, how he got into filmmaking, the cinematic landscape in Iran, the development and production of each film, the attempts to get these movies seen, and much more. 

• • Part 1 – Ashkan, The Charmed Ring and Other Stories (1:05:22)

• • Part 2 – Fish & Cat (1:06:37)

• • Part 3 – Invasion (48:09)

• • Part 4 – Careless Crime (59:18)

• Behind the Scenes of Careless Crime: A nearly 23-minute piece that delivers some amazing fly-on-the-wall footage of the production while Mokri narrates with his motivation and experience of making the film. 

Final Thoughts

The Time-Bending Mysteries of Shahram Mokri is a fascinating collection of films that highlights a voice in international cinema that has not been elevated as much as his talent deserves. Even at their most challenging, these films call upon you not to look away from the dreamy subversions of seemingly familiar genres. These are films that you are going to want to rewatch to capture the nuances at play, many of which are difficult to parse on a single viewing. If you are invested in the journey, you will be amply rewarded. Deaf Crocodile has released a Blu-Ray set with a very good A/V presentation and some meaty supplements. Recommended 

The Time-Bending Mysteries of Shahram Mokri is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Deaf Crocodile has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.