Mohsen Makhmalbaf: The Poetic Trilogy • Gabbeh (1996) • The Silence (1998) • The Gardener (2012)

A collection of the Iranian filmmaker’s movies, comprising his ‘Poetic Trilogy’…

written by Remy Dean.

Mohsen Makhmalbaf is a revolutionary filmmaker in every sense. (After watching these three films, and the accompanying interviews with the director, you’ll realise just how clever I’m being with that opening remark!) Iranian by birth but, becoming a persona non grata in his homeland, he made more than 30 films in 11 different countries, and is now recognised as Iran’s most important filmmaker. Except in Iran, where all his work is now banned, and it’s forbidden to mention his name or even refer to his work in the media…

Gabbeh ✭✭✭✩✩

Despite being selected for the 1996 Cannes Film Festival and winning a handful of international accolades, Gabbeh was banned in Iran for being too subversive. A western audience will struggle to grasp this subversiveness and will instead find themselves enjoying a dreamlike, visually rich story of love and longing.

The story starts with a dotty old couple coming down to a river to wash one of their prize possessions, a type of Persian rug known as a ‘gabbeh’. The old man (Hossein Moharami) is…