Gabbeh (1996)

A carpet. Few stories as seeds of humanity. Waves of color. Shadows of existence. A huge carpet. Love as threads of this carpet. A parable, a fairy tale, fragment of a honeycomb with mythical honey. Picture of a world in which past and present are a single stitch carpet.Colors, faces music in a mixture who lives in roots of a way to see and describe the universe.. Traditions and games. Confesions of a spirit and water as Ariadne thread. And images. Seductive, fragile, powerful and harsh. Looks as signs of time who is almost piece of clay. A wonderful Iranian movie about the small eternal truth. Twoo old people. A carpet. And a story. The result - an overwhelming beauty.

I found "Gabbeh" boring. It was nearly impossible for me to sit through. There was no excitement. In this film, the director is an artist. Mosen Makhmalbaf does a great job on using colors throughout the movie, but that's the only good thing that I saw. The costumes, the Persian carpet, the sky and landscape vividly show Mosen Makhmalbaf's use of color. I didn't really understand the story at all. Other than the colors, the movie has nothing going for itself. The story wasn't interesting and I didn't feel engaged at all. I will never watch this film again. I get that Mosen Makhmalbaf wanted to display a work of art, but when half of the class is completely clueless there is confusion behind the meaning of the story, don't you think something is wrong?

This is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Gabbeh, an Iranian film which chronicles the complex life of a young girl and her family who live in the mountains of Iran herding goats, is told with such conviction and simplicity, that it is hard not to fall in love with this film.The narrative displays non-Western conventions, while remaining simple and easy to follow for a Western audience. It is actually quite refreshing to see a film that is told in the way Gabbeh is told.The content of the film is brilliant, with themes of nature, life's beauty and misfortune and complex family relationships. The use of color, which is arguably one of the most unique and interesting features of this film, warrant at least one viewing, if not multiple. Also, using the rug, or, gabbeh, as the film's centerpiece is a wonderful visual anchor, and reads well for a Western audience.If the story is not enough to sell this film, the cinematography more than makes up for any mistakes this film has. The film is short enough that the pastoral imagery remains beautiful and not boring or simplistic, but is interjected in the film enough that it remains a focal point which pushes the film forward in many aspects.Overall, a must-see. Absolutely one of the best films I've ever watched.

I don't know what to make of this movie, Gabbeh. My mind is blown. I do not get it. Maybe it is a cultural thing. There is a gap. Iran is so different from the United States. I do like the rich colors that appear all throughout the film. They are bright and vibrant. They contrast with the bleak situation of our main character, the mysterious young woman. There are touching and charming moments that supersede culture. They are on a human level, understandable by all. There are also things that happen that I can't make sense of. That is what I meant when I said I don't know what to make of this film. What is it about? A girl who wants to get married, but her cruel father will not allow it for some reason. First the uncle must get married then she can marry. Then the mother must give birth then she can marry. Both of these things happen yet the young girl is still denied her suitor. I feel like I'm missing the point. I feel like that is not what the movie is really about. What is with her suitor sounding like a wolf? This old man must be the wolf. He is howling like one. Is the man on the horse, suitor imaginary? No, she rides off with him just to get shot down by her father. That is cruel. Oh, good that was only a rumor told by her father to keep his other daughters from running away. That is cruel, also. So what is up with the old man and the old lady? A lot of weird stuff happens with these two. What if the young woman is imaginary? She is just a rumor. The clan is so big who would know? Only the mother and father. If the father is that cruel it is understandable that the mother would keep quiet. The daughter is not mingling and talking to people in the clan. I think she could be made up.