Fireworks Wednesday
Encyclopedia
Fireworks Wednesday is a 2006 Iranian film directed by Asghar Farhadi
and co-written by Farhadi and Mani Haghighi
. It stars Hedyeh Tehrani
, Taraneh Alidousti, and Hamid Farokhnezhad.
(Wednesday Feast).
The story begins with Rouhi, a young woman approaching her wedding day, flirting with her fiance as they ride into town together on his motorcycle. To make some money to help pay for the wedding, she secures a temporary job cleaning an apartment in northern Tehran. Upon arriving at the apartment she finds herself in the middle of a heated domestic dispute between Mojdeh and Morteza. Mojdeh suspects that her husband Morteza is cheating on her with the next door neighbor Simin, a woman who set up a beauty salon there after her own marriage broke up.
Over the course of the day, the young woman, the sparring couple, their small son, the wife's sister and husband, and the beautician engage in a series of exchanges, confrontations, and prevarications as the truth unfolds.
, the film gained critical acclaim in its home country where it won 3 Crystal Simorgh
.
Deborah Young of Variety
wrote in her review: "Few Iranian films have tried to realistically depict both the urban middle and lower classes, and fewer still with the complexity of story telling and depth of characterization in Asghar Farhadi's impressive third feature, Fireworks Wednesday... The quality of the production is evident in Hossein Jafarian
's fluid cinematography and Hayedeh Safyari's nervous editing. The final scenes are a tour de force in which the bonfire-strewn streets fill with merrymakers and the exploding fireworks look as dangerous as a war, an apt metaphor for the everyday violence in the characters' lives." http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117929508?refcatid=31
Sheila O'Malley of Slant Magazine
praised the movie as well as Hedyeh Tehrani
's performance: " Hedyeh Tehrani, a delectable actress, plays Mozhde, the depressed wife. This is a marvelous performance, layered, painful, heartfelt. It's a difficult part... Tehrani has one of those malleable expressive faces so beloved by cameras everywhere. She thinks something, and it shows. She feels something, and we get it. The scenes of the fights with her husband are electric, exhilarating to watch. They feel like real arguments and have a jagged chaos to them that is truly frightening." http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2007/04/and-wednesday-too-asghar-farhadis-fireworks-wednesday/
In another review Jeffrey M. Anderson of Combustible Celluloid gave the film 3 & 1/2 Stars (out of 4) and praised originality of Iranian cinema: "One of the things I love about Iranian cinema is that it seems to inspire itself. Even a decade after the first Iranian "New Wave" films began appearing in the United States in 1997, Iranian filmmakers have refused to "go Western" and use Hollywood methods in their films. Rather, Iranian filmmakers have continued to work with the original ideas and methods that made their cinema exciting in the first place... Director Asghar Farhadi
takes his time, allowing information to creep in at its own pace rather than trying to force it all upon us in the first ten minutes. But the most vivid element is his well-rounded characters: men and women truly relating to one another in both positive and negative lights."http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/2006/fireworkswed.shtml
Geoff Andrew of Time Out wrote: "What distinguishes the film is the way Farhadi keeps us guessing from as to what exactly is happening and why; repeatedly shifting our point of view, he forces us to question our assumptions about characters and their reliability. This compelling, corrosive account of male-female relationships in today’s Tehran is tempered by genuine compassion for the individuals concerned; wisely, Farhadi never serves judgement on them in their troubled pursuit of truth, love and happiness. Intelligent, illuminating and directed with unflashy expertise." http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/83892/fireworks-wednesday.html
Asghar Farhadi
-Career:Asghar Farhadi is a graduate of Theatre, with a BA in Dramatic Arts and MA in Stage Direction from Tehran University and Tarbiat Modarres University. Farhadi made short 8mm and 16mm films in Isfahan branch of Iranian Young Cinema Society before moving on to writing plays and screenplays for...
and co-written by Farhadi and Mani Haghighi
Mani Haghighi
Mani Haghighi is an Iranian filmmaker, screen writer and actor. He is the grandson of the writer and filmmaker Ebrahim Golestan.-Education:...
. It stars Hedyeh Tehrani
Hedyeh Tehrani
Hedieh Tehrāni is a Crystal-Simorgh winning Iranian actress. She is most noted for willingness to play mysterious, stony-faced and cold-hearted women. She began her acting career with Masoud Kimiai's Soltan...
, Taraneh Alidousti, and Hamid Farokhnezhad.
Plot
Fireworks Wednesday is a portrait of three marriages set against the backdrop of the Persian New Year, Chaharshanbe SuriChaharshanbe Suri
The last Wednesday of the Iranian year known as Chahar Shanbeh Soori , the eve of which is marked by special customs and rituals, most notably jumping over fire...
(Wednesday Feast).
The story begins with Rouhi, a young woman approaching her wedding day, flirting with her fiance as they ride into town together on his motorcycle. To make some money to help pay for the wedding, she secures a temporary job cleaning an apartment in northern Tehran. Upon arriving at the apartment she finds herself in the middle of a heated domestic dispute between Mojdeh and Morteza. Mojdeh suspects that her husband Morteza is cheating on her with the next door neighbor Simin, a woman who set up a beauty salon there after her own marriage broke up.
Over the course of the day, the young woman, the sparring couple, their small son, the wife's sister and husband, and the beautician engage in a series of exchanges, confrontations, and prevarications as the truth unfolds.
Cast
- Hedye Tehrani as Mozhde Samiei
- Taraneh AlidoostiTaraneh AlidoostiTaraneh Alidoosti is a Crystal-Simorgh winning Iranian actress. In a poll conducted among hundred and thirty film critics by Sanate Cinema magazine she was voted the best Iranian actress of the decade.-Career:...
as Roohi - Hamid Farokhnezhad as Morteza
- Pantea BahramPantea BahramPantea Bahram is an Iranian actress. She was born on 3 March 1967 in Tehran.-References:...
- Sahar Dolatshahi
- Mehran Mahram
- Houman SeyyediHouman SeyyediHouman Seyyedi is an Iranian actor. He is married to Azadeh Samadi.-Films :* 2007 Sayab* 2006 An Ke Darya Miravad* 2005 Pa Berahne Dar Behesht* 2005 Chaharshanbe Suri* 2004 Yek Teke Nan- External links :...
as Roohi's Husband - Behshad Sharifian
Reception
Upon the release at Fajr International Film FestivalFajr International Film Festival
The Fajr Film Festival or Fajr International Film Festival is Iran's annual film festival, held every February in Tehran.The festival, started in 1982, is under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture in Iran...
, the film gained critical acclaim in its home country where it won 3 Crystal Simorgh
Crystal Simorgh
The Crystal Simorgh is the most prestigious award given by Fajr International Film Festival, Iran's major annual film festival.It is awarded in several categories of International Competition as well as Iranian Cinema Competition....
.
Deborah Young of 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 in her review: "Few Iranian films have tried to realistically depict both the urban middle and lower classes, and fewer still with the complexity of story telling and depth of characterization in Asghar Farhadi's impressive third feature, Fireworks Wednesday... The quality of the production is evident in Hossein Jafarian
Hossein Jafarian
-Career:Hossein Jafarian is a graduate of Tehran's University of Dramatic Arts. He began his career working for Iranian state-run television where he shot over 40 documentaries and TV shows before retiring early soon after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. His feature film debut was with 1984's Tatooreh...
's fluid cinematography and Hayedeh Safyari's nervous editing. The final scenes are a tour de force in which the bonfire-strewn streets fill with merrymakers and the exploding fireworks look as dangerous as a war, an apt metaphor for the everyday violence in the characters' lives." http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117929508?refcatid=31
Sheila O'Malley of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
praised the movie as well as Hedyeh Tehrani
Hedyeh Tehrani
Hedieh Tehrāni is a Crystal-Simorgh winning Iranian actress. She is most noted for willingness to play mysterious, stony-faced and cold-hearted women. She began her acting career with Masoud Kimiai's Soltan...
's performance: " Hedyeh Tehrani, a delectable actress, plays Mozhde, the depressed wife. This is a marvelous performance, layered, painful, heartfelt. It's a difficult part... Tehrani has one of those malleable expressive faces so beloved by cameras everywhere. She thinks something, and it shows. She feels something, and we get it. The scenes of the fights with her husband are electric, exhilarating to watch. They feel like real arguments and have a jagged chaos to them that is truly frightening." http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2007/04/and-wednesday-too-asghar-farhadis-fireworks-wednesday/
In another review Jeffrey M. Anderson of Combustible Celluloid gave the film 3 & 1/2 Stars (out of 4) and praised originality of Iranian cinema: "One of the things I love about Iranian cinema is that it seems to inspire itself. Even a decade after the first Iranian "New Wave" films began appearing in the United States in 1997, Iranian filmmakers have refused to "go Western" and use Hollywood methods in their films. Rather, Iranian filmmakers have continued to work with the original ideas and methods that made their cinema exciting in the first place... Director Asghar Farhadi
Asghar Farhadi
-Career:Asghar Farhadi is a graduate of Theatre, with a BA in Dramatic Arts and MA in Stage Direction from Tehran University and Tarbiat Modarres University. Farhadi made short 8mm and 16mm films in Isfahan branch of Iranian Young Cinema Society before moving on to writing plays and screenplays for...
takes his time, allowing information to creep in at its own pace rather than trying to force it all upon us in the first ten minutes. But the most vivid element is his well-rounded characters: men and women truly relating to one another in both positive and negative lights."http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/2006/fireworkswed.shtml
Geoff Andrew of Time Out wrote: "What distinguishes the film is the way Farhadi keeps us guessing from as to what exactly is happening and why; repeatedly shifting our point of view, he forces us to question our assumptions about characters and their reliability. This compelling, corrosive account of male-female relationships in today’s Tehran is tempered by genuine compassion for the individuals concerned; wisely, Farhadi never serves judgement on them in their troubled pursuit of truth, love and happiness. Intelligent, illuminating and directed with unflashy expertise." http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/83892/fireworks-wednesday.html
Accolades
- Gold Hugo at Chicago International Film FestivalChicago International Film FestivalThe Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
(2006) - Golden Lady Harimaguada at Las Palmas Film Festival (2007)
- Crystal SimorghCrystal SimorghThe Crystal Simorgh is the most prestigious award given by Fajr International Film Festival, Iran's major annual film festival.It is awarded in several categories of International Competition as well as Iranian Cinema Competition....
for Best actress (Hedieh Tehrani), Best Director (Asghar FarhadiAsghar Farhadi-Career:Asghar Farhadi is a graduate of Theatre, with a BA in Dramatic Arts and MA in Stage Direction from Tehran University and Tarbiat Modarres University. Farhadi made short 8mm and 16mm films in Isfahan branch of Iranian Young Cinema Society before moving on to writing plays and screenplays for...
) and Best Editing (Hayedeh Safiyari) in 2006 Fajr International Film FestivalFajr International Film FestivalThe Fajr Film Festival or Fajr International Film Festival is Iran's annual film festival, held every February in Tehran.The festival, started in 1982, is under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture in Iran...