It is a fact during the last few years, that TV series have become part of film festivals, with a number of them screening a sample (usually a couple of episodes), probably since their quality nowadays γετσ closer and closer and frequently even surpasses that of movies. Iranian “The Actor” a 20-episode series is definitely one of those, as it became evident when we watched the first two episodes in Thessaloniki.
“The Actor“ is screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
In what is probably one of the greatest intros ever to appear in any kind of screen, a group of people are traveling through a remote area in Iran, when the first of two cars has to change a tire. One of the people in that car is changing it, another is dancing to “Losing My Religion” while two girls are staying inside. In the other car, a man and his fiance are waiting, but the man seems pretty anxious, since the area is supposed to be dangerous. And lo, two men in a bike appear and soon are attacking the group of people, which are scared out of their minds. Not wishing to ruin the impact, let's just say that the next scene introduces us to two actors, Ali and Morteza, who make a living by getting hired in the most unexpected situations.
Check also this interview
The first episode shows how they are having trouble sustaining the theater they perform into, with the owner wishing to sell it to a contractor who plans to tear it down, as the duo have not paid rent for some months. An offer to perform in a university acceptance party presents them a glimmer of hope, which concludes the first episode. In the second one, they receive an offer from a detective agency to use their skills to help solve a case of a father suspecting his daughter being a drug addict, but things seem to be a bit more complicated than they anticipated.
It is easy to say that the first episode is astonishing. Filled with twists, surprises, intense humor and a pinch of romance with Morteza's girlfriend who works in a perfume story, the episode is as entertaining as possible from beginning to end, highlighting both Javidi's direction and the performances and chemistry of Navid Mohammadzadeh as Ali and Ahmad Mehranfar as Morteza, who are a true wonder to watch, either as actors or outside the line of work. Javidi actually plays with this last concept, with a number of scenes where it is not easily discernible what the duo is doing, in an element that retains a very appealing sense of disorientation which is quite entertaining throughout.
The second episode moves into more Shakespearean paths, with the much ado about nothing element being quite prevalent, while also including elements of thriller and violence, essentially making a u-turn from the lighter approach of the first. The rhythm falls significantly here, however, along with the quality unfortunately, although, granted, retaining the level of the first would be quite difficult. On the other hand, the chemistry of the two actors remains, while the drama does provide entertainment, also intensifying the main comment of the two episodes, of how difficult it is for actors to sustain themselves nowadays, particularly if they are outside of the ‘system' as Ali clearly states in one scene close to the end.
Despite the issues here, however, with the story also becoming a bit soapy with the whole concept with the boss of Morteza's girlfriend, Javidi still manages to increase the empathy the viewer feels for the two protagonists, while the many unanswered questions definitely raise interest about what is going to happen to them moving forward.
The level of the production values is also on a movie-level, throughout the two episodes. Morteza Najafi's cinematography in particular is impressive, with him capturing the many settings as if they were part of a movie set in the most ingenious fashion, with the long shots in the exterior and the zoom-ins in the interiors also working quite well. Ramin Koosha's music is also great, in the same approach as the cinematography, with the way it communicates the sentiments the ones who are watching Ali and Morteza should have, being rather smart. Emad Khodabakhsh's editing results in a relatively fast pace in the first episode, which works quite well, and a slower one in the second, which does decrease the rhythm somewhat annoyingly.
Judging a whole series by only two episodes is not exactly ideal, but if Javidi retains the quality of the first in some of the rest, “The Actor” will end up being one of the best series of all time.
