Boycott - 1985
Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Valeh (Majid Majidi), imprisoned during the reign of the Shah for his membership in a leftist organization, questions his beliefs and nearly goes mad due to the immense pressures of prison life and the brutal methods employed by SAVAK.
Color, 1 hour 25 minutes, Farsi
Trailer currently not available, Watch Scene (Farsi w/English subtitles)
Star Rating
Firouzan Rank # 31
Cast
| Majid Majidi | Valeh |
| Mohammad Kasebi | Chief |
| Zohreh Sarmadi | Maryam |
| Ardelan Showjaeekaveh | Ali |
Crew
| Writer | Mohsen Makhmalbaf |
| Director | Mohsen Makhmalbaf |
| Director of Photography | Faraj Heydari |
| Sound Recordist | Manouchehr Esmaili |
| Editor | Mohsen Makhmalbaf |
| Music | Rubik Mansouri |
Pictures
Valeh watches as his wife is taken into the delivery ward, he is unable to join her due to his responsibilities to his organization.
The members of Valeh's cell are not quite as fortunate as he is.
Valeh's wife Maryam (Zohreh Sarmadi) gives birth to their child as he is getting arrested.
The SAVAK interrelation begins.
Maryam is given explicit instructions as to what is appropriate during her visit as the imposing SAVAK officers and the Shah's likeness bear witness.
Sham trial complete with prison guards dressed as civilians for the state-run media's video cameras.
Valeh attempts to find his place in the prison, "What does one do, when they are new?"
Family reunion.
Saying goodbye to Maryam.
Accepting the inevitable.
DVD
This movie is currently only available on VHS
External Reviews
By Dennis Schwartz Ozus' World Movie Reviews
In some respects Mohsen Makhmalbaf's fourth feature draws on his youthful experiences as a political activist who was jailed. In this bleak but almost painfully comical look at a leftist terrorist who becomes martyred for a cause he no longer believes in, there's a chance to see how the director became more enlightened because of these experiences.
Mohsen had an uprooted childhood because his father left his second wife, Mohsen's mother, and his mother took him to live with his aunt and grandmother. He got religion from his grandmother (becoming a strict Islamic fundamentalist), learned to read from his aunt, and from his lawyer stepfather absorbed politics. He was soon working as an activist against the Shah's regime. When Mohsen was 17 he attempted to steal a gun from a policeman and in the process stabbed him and was shot. After his arrest, he was interrogated and tortured. Mohsen served a four year jail sentence and was released in 1979. This experience he clearly used in "Boycott," and that plays a major part in understanding the director's continual growth and ability to change. Mohsen has reinvented himself as a director and has since received international acclaim for his unique films, and is the most popular Iranian filmmaker along with Abbas Kiarostami. Continued
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