Taxi (2015)

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

This film would probably have made more sense if the director had been playing a director (sic) playing a cabby (sic) who is clandestinely playing a director (sic) who is not-so-covertly filming it all while miraculously avoiding hitting other vehicles and/or pedestrians. (If you're going to get "meta", get well and truly "meta".)I'd expected a genuine documentary -- though I did wonder how people's identities would be protected if they said anything incriminating. Of course, the statement that the director "is joined by a host of spirited characters" -- with the emphasis on "characters", should really have given the game away.So, all in all, a pretty pointless film that adds nothing to my understanding of the repressive Iranian regime and also fails to entertain. I regret having agreed to play a punter watching this film at home on BBC iPlayer; back to "Extras" for me.

A totally delightful, witty and understated account on contemporary life in Iran. The director playing himself driving a taxi, to earn extra cash because his movies are frowned upon by the State, has seemingly casual encounters with various passengers. The documentary style filming is all done from a camera mounted inside the cab. The encounters range from various strangers representing different views on politics, art and life, women's necessary wiliness in a repressed society, of social and religious prejudices. One passenger recognizes Jafar as the film-director (!) and tries to get him involved with his black-market dealings in foreign and suppressed local films. Implications about Sharia law are being deconstructed when a friend refuses to inform the police after having been robbed because he cannot bear the idea of the thief being dismembered or even hung for his deed. An interesting role is played by his young niece whom he has to pick up from school. Her assignment is to make a movie with her own small camcorder, following the rules and guidelines imposed by her teacher and the State. This ploy allows him to indirectly expose bureaucratic and political absurdities about film-making itself and the stifling rules on daily life.

I've never heard of Mr Panahi before this film, had no idea as to the state of Iranian film making and had never seen an Iranian film before. That's why I went, chiefly.And I'm glad I did, although towards the end I did feel time started to drag a little. Because even though the later characters were just as interesting and entertaining as the first ones, to me the expositional technique used in the same location can feel a little claustrophobic and monotonous after a while.As the film progresses you get little snapshots of passengers lives, outlook and opinions. And there is a crowd pleasing little star in the shape of the director/driver's 'pretty little niece' (her description). Her encounter with the street boy is charming although for me, could have benefited from a stronger resolution.The story that really intrigued me though was when the driver's old friend gets into the taxi and we hear about his harrowing experience and the forthcoming lack of justice. Would have liked to have drilled down more into this to examine his motives behind not seeking revenge or retribution, but it isn't that type of film and so it was onto the next character.So a rewarding experience although I viewed it as much an education as a piece of entertainment.

Somewhere, in the corner of my mind, the information about Jafar Panahi's predicament was lying around unguarded. His 2010 jail sentence and twenty year ban from filmmaking were a result of what was deemed as propaganda against the Iranian government. Obviously, it has not hindered him in producing three movies since, all smuggled outside the country and released at the Cannes and Berlin festivals before receiving wider distribution. The story of the man is fascinating enough, but it is his artistic and humanistic sensibilities that make Taxi a memorable experience.Filmed via a number of small cameras, some fixed within the taxi itself, some carried around by other protagonists, the story sees Panahi acting as a cab driver and encountering pieces of the Iranian Weltanschauung. The irony of his position is highlighted as his first passenger criticizes his geographical orientation, noticing that something must have gone seriously wrong for Panahi in order for him to have to resort to something he has no clue about. And after a short argument between passengers about whether stealing the wheels off a car should warrant the death penalty or not, "just to send a message", you get the sense of how easily people become desensitized to such matters if only they are faced with them frequently enough. Paradoxically, the man suggesting this course of action is a "freelancer" himself, but more of a Robin Hood mold, which apparently should exempt him from a similar punishment. This contradiction between wrong and right is explored throughout the journey, as Panahi encounters a series of colourful characters: a man selling pirated international films (who actually recognizes the director and takes quick advantage of him), a woman weeping over her dying husband, two older women fighting for their lives, an old neighbour who had recently been the victim of a robbery, a woman suffering a similar fate of marginalization due to the her political views, and Panahi's niece, who is just being introduced to what "publishable films" are in Iran.Panahi strikes a fine balance between some more comical aspects of Iranian life and the very dire need for self expression, that is severely limited. The humanism that pervades Taxi poses the same question repeatedly: what causes crime and who is a criminal within Iranian society? Drawing from a well of personal experience, he manages to create an endearing context for all his protagonists and their tales and it feels like he is taking us by the hand and guiding us, not so much physically, as emotionally. His smile spreads these emotional cues, from affection to sympathy, confusion and intense discomfort, and this gives off the sensation of being joined by a friend throughout this journey.The worst that can be said is that the scripting of events does occasionally feel a bit heavy handed, in order to condense all the experience in what is ultimately a very short film. And while generally avoiding the lure of leaning too heavily on caricature, it ends on a slightly underwhelming artistic note. But those are all the complaints I have to make. I very much enjoyed Taxi and gathering from the vibe around me, so did many of the other people watching it. While I feel the focus should generally be on the art, more than on the artist, here's hoping that Panahi will have the chance to one day echo the affection he receives and generates in festival venues around the world, by having the freedom to openly appear alongside Iranian artists and their uncensored visions.