Gabbeh

Released 1996
Reviewed May 13, 1998
Stars Shaghayeh Djodat, Hossein Moharami, Rogheih Moharami, Abbas Sayah
Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf
 
This may be the most visually beautiful movie I've ever seen. I'm shocked by this, because "Gabbeh" is an Iranian film. All I know about the Middle East is what I see on the news, and I assumed Iranian films would be about Moslem fundamentalists spewing hateful rhetoric while subjugating their women. This was nothing like that, and it didn't seem Iranian at all. It seemed more Turkish or Pakistani because of the vibrant colors of the clothing and the exuberant joy in some of the scenes.

The plot involves an elderly couple who carry their gabbeh, an intricately woven rug, to a brook to wash it. They bicker about who gets to wash it and who has to prepare dinner. The gabbeh has a picture of a young couple on horseback woven into it, and the old man asks the gabbeh who they are. The gabbeh responds by bringing the young woman to life. Her name is Gabbeh, and she relates her tale.

The plot is very slow, and there isn't much character development. I think it was probably intended to be a showcase for the beauty in Iran. If you're like me, you think of Iran as one big desert completely devoid of beauty. I don't know much about it, but I know it's very large and there must be someplace to grow food. Now I know there are mountains that sport gorgeous meadows, some oasis's here and there in the desert, small rivers and brooks, and there's even snow!

As Gabbeh relives her story, we see the nomadic life that's led by her clan. I enjoyed watching them roam throughout the mountains, plains, and deserts of their territory. Although I wouldn't want to live this way, I admired their serene way of life.
 
This movie could have been called "Color,"  because it's really a celebration of colors. When a woman in the clan gives birth, the rest of the clan comments to the camera, "Life is color. Love is color." There's a scene where the uncle visits the makeshift school and magically illustrates the colors of their land. It's beautiful as he produces each color with wild flowers, home-made dyes, and even birds. There's another image that was so beautiful, it actually made me catch my breath. It was of a green and gold wheat field swaying in the wind. It looked like waves rolling through the ocean and was stunning.

My favorite part of the film was watching the women make their gabbehs. First, the men shear the wool from their sheep using large scissors. Then they spin the wool into yarn. Once the yarn's ready, they boil wildflowers to make dye. Then the women use a tool that looks like a hair pick and a knife to make the rugs. Their hands fly as they thread, cut, and tamp the yarn. They have no electricity, and I found it amazing how much they could do with simple tools.

This is a very slow film, but it's worth watching for its beauty. The ending is a little oblique. Click here for my thoughts.

Reviewed by Bill Alward  Home
 

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