Dame sobh
Encyclopedia
Dame sobh is an award-winning 2005 independent film
from Iranian director Hamid Rahmanian. It depicts a man on death row whose execution is repeatedly delayed because the family of the victim does not appear for his execution (which is necessary for an execution to take place under Iranian law). Some parts of the film are filmed like a documentary (docudrama
), with characters addressing the camera crew or looking into the camera, but most of the scenes, including frequent flashback
s, are filmed in the traditional style of a fictional film
.
The film sets in with the written statement that "This film is based on true events"; later in the introduction of the film, it is added that it is "based on a story by Hamid Rahmanian". The cover of the DVD release by Film Movement describes the film as "based on a compilation of true stories" and adds that it was "shot inside Tehran
's century-old prison".
With few exceptions (e.g., Şafak in Turkey), the film has been internationally screened under the title Day Break. In the United States, the film is not rated, but according to the cover of its DVD release is "not recommended for ages under 17 without parental permission".
) is a prison inmate in Iran's capital Tehran, who is awaiting his execution for murder. The film outlines his previous story in brief flashbacks: He is from the small village Zir Ab (probably a fictitious village since the four existing Iranian places of that name are not in the north of Tehran), where his family was farming sheep. Hoping for a better future, he convinced his parents and his wife to move to Tehran, but once there, faced difficulties keeping the job he had counted on. Although the crime he committed and its immediate antecedents are never directly shown, it appears that he killed someone, probably his employer, with a brick stone on a busy street in broad daylight. He is apprehended on the spot and later sentenced to death.
Under the Islamic law
used in Iran, the family of the victim has the power to pardon the perpetrator's life, and they have to be present at the execution. Ziaee's execution had to be delayed twice already because the family failed to come, when the film sets in on the morning of the third date fixed for his execution. The camera follows him through the procedures before an execution can take place, but ultimately, the victim's family again does not show up, and the execution is postponed for another 40 days.
While his fellow prison inmates celebrate the cancellation, the stressful uncertainty between life and death takes its toll, and Ziaee withdraws more and more from the world around him. He does not want to see his family anymore, who has moved back to Zir Ab because they felt lonely in Tehran, he attempts suicide
and provokes to be send to solitary confinement. He finally finds back to some joy of life when his wife gives birth to their first child. Soon afterwards, however, his execution is appointed for the fourth time. After a haunting dream of finally being hanged, the film leaves Ziaee as he walks off to the room where he will either meet the victim's family or be stood up yet another time.
described the film as "a hard-hitting, thought provoking drama that gives a new dimension to a hot topic: the death sentence". Variety
wrote that it "works like a ticking time bomb".
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Online Britannica Book of the Year 2006, "Hamid Ramanian's Dame sobh (“Daybreak”) was a harrowing study of a murderer awaiting the death penalty, which is by Islamic law the personal responsibility of the injured family".
, France) and the Fajr Film Festival (Tehran). It was in the official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival
(New York City) and the Toronto International Film Festival
.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
from Iranian director Hamid Rahmanian. It depicts a man on death row whose execution is repeatedly delayed because the family of the victim does not appear for his execution (which is necessary for an execution to take place under Iranian law). Some parts of the film are filmed like a documentary (docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
), with characters addressing the camera crew or looking into the camera, but most of the scenes, including frequent flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
s, are filmed in the traditional style of a fictional film
Fictional film
Fictional film or narrative film is film that tells a fictional story or narrative. Narrative cinema is usually contrasted to films that present information, such as a nature documentary, as well as to some experimental films...
.
The film sets in with the written statement that "This film is based on true events"; later in the introduction of the film, it is added that it is "based on a story by Hamid Rahmanian". The cover of the DVD release by Film Movement describes the film as "based on a compilation of true stories" and adds that it was "shot inside Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
's century-old prison".
With few exceptions (e.g., Şafak in Turkey), the film has been internationally screened under the title Day Break. In the United States, the film is not rated, but according to the cover of its DVD release is "not recommended for ages under 17 without parental permission".
Plot
Mansour Ziaee (Hossein YariHossein Yari
Hossein Yari was born in 1965. He started acting in theatre first, then he joined the Iranian TV.The TV series Shabe Dahom , directed by Hassan Fathi, owes much of its popularity to Yari's performance...
) is a prison inmate in Iran's capital Tehran, who is awaiting his execution for murder. The film outlines his previous story in brief flashbacks: He is from the small village Zir Ab (probably a fictitious village since the four existing Iranian places of that name are not in the north of Tehran), where his family was farming sheep. Hoping for a better future, he convinced his parents and his wife to move to Tehran, but once there, faced difficulties keeping the job he had counted on. Although the crime he committed and its immediate antecedents are never directly shown, it appears that he killed someone, probably his employer, with a brick stone on a busy street in broad daylight. He is apprehended on the spot and later sentenced to death.
Under the Islamic law
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
used in Iran, the family of the victim has the power to pardon the perpetrator's life, and they have to be present at the execution. Ziaee's execution had to be delayed twice already because the family failed to come, when the film sets in on the morning of the third date fixed for his execution. The camera follows him through the procedures before an execution can take place, but ultimately, the victim's family again does not show up, and the execution is postponed for another 40 days.
While his fellow prison inmates celebrate the cancellation, the stressful uncertainty between life and death takes its toll, and Ziaee withdraws more and more from the world around him. He does not want to see his family anymore, who has moved back to Zir Ab because they felt lonely in Tehran, he attempts suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
and provokes to be send to solitary confinement. He finally finds back to some joy of life when his wife gives birth to their first child. Soon afterwards, however, his execution is appointed for the fourth time. After a haunting dream of finally being hanged, the film leaves Ziaee as he walks off to the room where he will either meet the victim's family or be stood up yet another time.
Critics
The International Herald TribuneInternational Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
described the film as "a hard-hitting, thought provoking drama that gives a new dimension to a hot topic: the death sentence". Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
wrote that it "works like a ticking time bomb".
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Online Britannica Book of the Year 2006, "Hamid Ramanian's Dame sobh (“Daybreak”) was a harrowing study of a murderer awaiting the death penalty, which is by Islamic law the personal responsibility of the injured family".
Awards
The film was the winner of the Annonay International Film Festival (AnnonayAnnonay
Annonay is a commune in the north of the Ardèche department in the Rhône-Alpes region in southern France. It is the most populous commune in the Ardèche department, although it is not the capital, which resides in the smaller town of Privas.-Geography:...
, France) and the Fajr Film Festival (Tehran). It was in the official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
(New York City) and the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
.