The first thing I noticed was the immense cold. As Americans, our mental images of Iran and Iraq are mostly that of soldiers baking in the hot desert sun, and so we may be forgiven for thinking the countries as almost exclusively desert. But in the western and northwestern portion of Iran, near the Zagros Mountains, the temperature drops below zero in the winter, and snowfall can be heavy. Amidst this backdrop is set the 2000 film "A Time For Drunken Horses," now arriving on DVD from Lorber Films.

After the death of his father, 12-year-old Ayoub is left to care for his sister, Rojin, and brother, Madi, whose medical condition has stunted his growth so much he can be carried in a rucksack. Beyond the daily necessities of food, water, and materials for school, Madi needs an operation to survive. To earn money, Ayoub joins a group of smugglers who trudge through snowy mountain passes to cross the Iran-Iraq border. It's not enough, and Ayoub's uncle bargains his sister away into an arranged marriage on the promise that the family taking in Rojin will also take care of Madi's medical needs. But when the family reneges, Ayoub is left again to fend for himself.

"A Time for Drunken Horses" was the first feature from Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi, and it won the Caméra d'Or for Best First Feature at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. Though its narrative is slight, it is terribly evocative of the harsh conditions that the characters face on a daily basis. Ghobadi used non-actors for all the principal roles. On occasion, during the more intimate scenes, a certain blankness comes over them. I also felt as if I was missing a lot of dialogue by not having more subtitles. But during Ayoub's snowbound journeys, one gets a real glimpse Kurdish life that we never see on the nightly news.

Incidentally, the title of the film refers to the way the smugglers feed liquor to the horses and mules to help steel them to the harsh wintry conditions.

03/04/11

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