I’m not an artist. I can’t even say that I am a very astute arts spectator. Aside from the more traditional art which I can spot (duh!), sometimes I find things which look like art and I try very hard to see what they are all about. Among the mish-mash of cheap and valuable things I find, when I find clips which convey an artistic message to me, I send it to JJ. JJ can tell art! I found the following one-minute video clip entitled “I am my mother” by director Mohamad Abbasi not too long ago. It was art to be sure. After I watched it a couple of times, I was sure I got its message, and the message was an extremely powerful and potent one in protest of mandatory hejab in Iran. I sent it to JJ and it was featured. Some people didn’t get it, and except for Abarmard who also praised it, there were no other comments or positive reactions for the piece. When asked, I tried to explain what I had learned from the short film.
I think I have mentioned before that people whose clips we link on the site have a way of finding out that their clips were featured here. Many of them come to see how all these people came to see their clips on YouTube. Some of them are delighted to know that they have been received well, and sadly, the ones people trash in their comments, come and leave sad comments for the rest of us. Since featured video clips are mostly forgotten after about 24 hours, nobody ever sees those comments and reactions. A month after his clip was featured, Mr. Abbasi came to visit the site. He left a comment which has had me buzzing for a day now. In it, he says I got his message right! Aside from the compliment, I’m happy to have found him and for having brought his message to our community. I thought I would share my happiness! Below is the video clip, my interpretation, and Mr. Abassi’s comment. Before I go, may I remind all of you beautiful people that what is featured on the site is the life, art, and intellectual property of many Iranians who have put years of their lives into a 2-minute video clip for us to see. Whether it’s someone’s wedding, another’s piano recital, or someone’s child, it is upon us to speak kindly and politely to what we are seeing, even if we are saying that we don’t like it. They almost always come back and visit our comments. Write a comment whose effect would last more than 24 hours, please, because it does.
My comment on the original post:
by Party Girl on Sun Nov 09, 2008 09:05 PM PST
With utmost humility, I offer my own impressions of this piece. I hope you would in no way think that I think I am particularly smart or artistic, or that I am showing off. Truth be told, I watched this piece three times before developing my thoughts. Certainly, everyone is entitled to review a piece of art and to develop his or her own impressions and messages from it. When I watched this short film, I was surprised and moved by its message, though the title itself could have been sufficiently telling.
The dancer, who is a young man, looks bewildered. His quick steps, contortions, and obvious struggle with something invisible, in addition to the clip title all tell me this young man is putting himself in his mother’s place under that chador. He is fighting demons and aggressors. He is struggling and fighting. He becomes breathless and stops with the fatigue of his struggles and at this point the mother fixes the chador on her head and goes on. The artist is telling us that under that chador there is so much pressure that if it were him, he would be left exhausted and breathless dealing with it, but his mother is strong, she would go on. I find this piece remarkable in that it is made by a (young?) Iranian man in Iran, dealing with his thoughts on the issue of mandatory hejab.
I find the message extremely courageous in that this man has so much respect for his mother’s (i.e. all Iranian women’s) struggles. Did I make any sense to you? Again, I should apologize to the artist if his message has completely gone over my head. I only offered my own take on what I saw. Perhaps you would consider watching it again now to see if you can see what I saw, too.
Mr. Abbasi’s comment on that same thread:
tashakor
by mohamad (not verified) on Sun Dec 14, 2008 03:32 PM PST
salam
bareye man kheili jaleb bood ke filmamo too in site didam,va az hame jaleb tar commente partygirl bood ke be hagh dorost tarin chizi bood ke ta be hal raje be filmam shenide boodam,be ishun tabrik migam be khatere tiz binishoon
