POLICE STATION
Did you teII your agency this might take a whiIe?
No, it's aII right
We couId caII from there
This couId run into the evening,
and things might get tricky
It's a strange story - What happened?
It seems
someone's been passing himseIf off as Mohsen MakhmaIbaf
You know the name?
- A businessman? - Not at aII
- Left here? - Yes
He's not a businessman He's a fiImmaker
You don't know him? - No
His Iatest fiIm is The CycI/st.
I don't have time for movies I'm too busy with Iife!
The thing is, his face isn't weII-known,
and this guy toId a famiIy he was MakhmaIbaf
Seems he's up to something
He chose some of the famiIy to be actors
and toId them their house was ideaI
as the Iocation for his next fiIm
But no one reaIIy knows what he's up to
It's aII very compIicated
So I'm checking out the story for my coIumn
We're going to arrest him
- You're a journaIist? - Yeah, for Sorush magazine
I took you for a cop
That's funny
I heard about this case
and thought it wouId make a good story
I'm going to see it through to the end
A story Iike this doesn't come aIong often
You might get two or three your whoIe career
It's a hot news item
SensationaI news -- the kind that boosts saIes
It's what I caII an ''Oriana story''
You've heard of Oriana FaIIaci? - No
- You haven't? - No
Peter Bogdanovich? John Edisson? Some of the best
They've never been my passengers
That's funny
Anyway, they're famous journaIists
Their work is known worIdwide
EspeciaIIy FaIIaci She's aIways on the traiI of hot stories
She has a gift for finding stories no one eIse does
That's why she has an internationaI reputation
And I'm sure this is an ''Oriana'' story
I'm going to figure out if he's up to something fishy,
Iike steaIing from the famiIy
If so, they shouId arrest him
That's why I'II need you tiII tonight
- No probIem - You sure?
CaII your agency,
so if there's any troubIe, we'II be in this together
It's okay I'm not fuII-time with them anyway
I'm a retired fighter piIot
I'm part of the ground forces now
That couId make a good story too:
air forces on the ground, ground forces in the air
Funny
- Left here? - Yes
- To Lavizan? - Yes, then Hosseinabad Avenue
Lavizan's a nice area Good excuse to come back
I haven't been here since the revoIution, since that incident
at the Lavizan garrison
When the soIdiers opened fire
I haven't been back since - To the right?
We're Iooking for Javanshir Avenue
Keep going I'II ask someone about GoIzar Street
HoId on I'II ask this boy
Son, come here a moment
Where's Javanshir Avenue? You don't know?
He doesn't know Keep going - Ask an aduIt
Let me ask this man
Excuse me, sir Where's GoIzar Street?
- I don't know - Thanks anyway
- Want a turkey? - No
We're off to see a turkey of our own
How did you hear about this?
A composer friend caIIed me
and said that strange things were going on at this house
I was intrigued It's an odd pIace to choose
Ma'am, where's GoIzar Street?
Go stra/ght, then Ieft at the market.
Straight and then Ieft?
Thanks a Iot Keep going
So Iuck has knocked at my door --
for the first and maybe Iast time
You can't imagine how anxious I am
to see this story in print
It'II cause a sensation
Everyone in TV and fiIm
wiII be taIking about it
Let's see
First Avenue off GoIzar Street
First Avenue Here it is
That way
Is this it? Yes, here's First Avenue
Down here?
But it's a dead end
How strange that my best story
shouId take pIace on a dead end
Just my Iuck
12 1 4 16 here it is
What a strange pIace on a dead-end street
Wait for me here - Okay
- Yes? - It's Mr Farazmand
Don't get out He might see you from the window
Stay in the car tiII I caII you
Listen, teII the pIaintiff to bring out his compIaint and ID papers
- CompIaint and ID papers? - Yes Thanks
Don't the poIice have their own vehicIes?
Yes, they do
That poor guy's gonna run up quite a tab
Smoke? - No, thanks
- Where are you from? - Isfahan
And you're doing your service up here?
Funny I'm from Tehran, and I did my service in Isfahan,
and you're doing the opposite
- That's fate - Isfahan's a nice pIace
You from Isfahan too? - No Borujerd
Borujerd? Interesting
I'm actuaIIy from a viIIage near Naeem
- Near Yazd, right? - Yes My viIIage is Jandagh
- How Iong you have Ieft? - I've done one year
So how Iong do you have Ieft?
Two years, since I'm singIe
If I was married, 18 months
I'm being reassigned in a few weeks
- Where? - Kurdistan
- Near Baneh? - Yes
It'II pass quickIy Then you can go home and get married
I hope As Iong as God grants you good heaIth
- Are you married? - Yes
- Any chiIdren? - One boy
God bIess him
- Mr AboIfazI Ahankhah? - Yes
- Is he armed? - I don't think so
Hang on I forgot my briefcase
Young man, if you teII me the truth,
I can heIp you
To you I'm just a thief
and a con man
What about the tape recorder?
There's no one home
I reaIIy need one It's pointIess if it's not taped
I'II see you at the poIice station
- What about the fare? - How much is it?
350 tomans
Mr Ahankhah, give me 200 tomans
Sorry about this
Here I'II join you at the station
I have to find a tape recorder
We don't even know them
- Yes? - Sorry, wrong address
They're away
Yes?
Excuse me My name's Farazmand
I'm a journaIist and friend of your neighbor, Mr Ahankhah
I need a portabIe tape recorder
We don't have one.
Thanks anyway
Yes?
My name's Farazmand, with Sorush magazine
I'm a friend of your neighbor, Mr Ahankhah
and I need a tape recorder
We don't have one.
- You don't? - No.
My name's Farazmand, with Sorush magazine
- Mr Farazmand! - Yes?
You got one?
I'II give it back this afternoon
CLOSE-UP
ScreenpIay by ABBAS KIAROSTAMI Based on a True Story
Appearing as ThemseIves:
HOSSEIN SABZIAN HASSAN FARAZMAND
ABOLFAZL AHANKHAH MEHRDAD AHANKHAH
NIR MOHSENI ZANOOZI AHMADREZA MOHSENI
MOHSEN MAKHMALBAF
Cinematography by ALI REZA ZARRINDAST
Produced by ALI REZA ZARRIN
Edited and Directed by ABBAS KIAROSTAMI
BOGUS MAKHMALBAF ARRESTED
- Excuse me, who's /n charge here? - Captain Bashiri
- May I speak to h/m? - I'II caII him
Captain, someone to see you
HeIIo, Capta/n.
I read /n Sorush magaz/ne that your men
arrested a certa/n Hosse/n --
Sabzian Yes, we did
My men are reading the articIe now WouId you Iike to see it?
Barati, bring me that magazine
ActuaIIy, I've read the art/cIe,
but couId you perhaps g/ve me more deta/Is?
I don't exactIy remember It's been a few weeks now
As you can see, we're very busy here
CouId you g/ve me the address
of the house where /t happened?
I'II have to check the records Barati, get me that fiIe
So /t's been two weeks? How come the story just came out?
It was pubIished a week Iater
- He was heId here, r/ght? - Yes, a few days
What k/nd of man /s he?
He cIaimed to be quite reIigious
You were there at his arrest, right?
- Yes, sir - You were there?
D/d he res/st arrest? - Not at aII
He saw he was outnumbered and he surrendered
- Pardon me? - He surrendered
What k/nd of man /s he?
He didn't Iook Iike the type to do such things
Mean/ng?
PeopIe out to con others have a certain Iook
- He d/dn't have that Iook? - Not at aII
If poss/bIe, I'd I/ke Mr. Ahankhah's address.
You probabIy know the story
The Ahankhah residence is --
Let my coIIeague wr/te /t down.
No 16 First Avenue, off GoIzar Street in Lavizan
Mr Kiarostami, everyone who's become invoIved in our case so far
has tried to use the situation to his own advantage
Mr Farazmand wrote that the truth wouId not have come out
if it hadn't been for him, but that's not true
I knew from the start exactIy what was going on
and aIways had the situation under controI
I Ied Mr Sabzian aIong
as a Iesson to my chiIdren
Now you're bringing up the matter again,
and I don't know your intentions
The articIe doesn't give aII the facts
What does /t Ieave out?
He portrayed us as simpIe peopIe, but we're not
What do you mean?
Yes, I'm interested in fiIm,
but that doesn't mean I'd do what the articIe says
I was gIad my mother met Mr MakhmaIbaf That's a fact
And I thought perhaps their meeting
might provide an opportunity
I have a degree in civiI engineering,
but I haven't yet found a job in my fieId
And I thought that my brother,
a mechanicaI engineer who's seIIing bread --
Mehrdad
I prefer artistic work to seIIing bread
That was my main reason
Manuchehr doesn't seII bread.
He manages a Iarge bakery.
But Mother, come on --
WouId you m/nd speak/ng Pers/an so we can understand?
Let's not Iie to ourseIves
My brother didn't study aII those years to seII bread
When d/d you graduate?
Six months ago
That's not Iong. I'm sure you'II f/nd work soon.
Amir, Hossein, and Hushang graduated over a year ago
Have they found work? Amir had work for six months
Factories Iack raw materiaIs How can they hire anyone?
Anyway, I'm here to taIk about Mr. Sabz/an.
Can you teII me anyth/ng about h/m?
Where /s he now? - In prison
- Where? - Ghasr
- Mr. Sabz/an? - Yes
- Deta/ned for? - Attempted fraud
Attempted fraud.
You have a v/s/tor.
HeIIo
- How are you? - Fine, thanks
- You know who I am? - Sure
I read an articIe about you and decided to come see you
I see
In what newspaper? - It was a magazine
I read that you're interested in fiIm,
so since I'm a fiImmaker, I wanted to taIk to you
- And you are? - Kiarostami
Ah, right
I'm surprised
I've seen your fiIms - You have?
Is there anything I can do for you?
You couId make a fiIm about my suffering
I can't promise anything,
but Iet's taIk and see
What did they write? That I'm a con man?
I don't know exactIy Did you confess to attempted fraud?
Yes, I did confess
But I'm not a con man - You're not?
Then why did you confess to fraud?
Because what I did Iooks Iike fraud from the outside
And what is it reaIIy?
I'm interested in art and fiIm
AII right
How Iong have you been in prison?
I'm not sure
About three weeks
And when's your triaI?
I don't know
The courts don't Iike cases Iike mine
They don't Iike them
AII right In any case
I'II try to get your triaI moved forward
I'd appreciate it
That's aII for now I'm aII done, Captain
If you couId give a message to Mr MakhmaIbaf
What is it?
TeII him The CycI/st is a part of me
I'II teII him
You can go now if you Iike
Excuse me
Good-bye
Let me know if you need anything
Thanks
- What bIock are you in? - BIock 5
- There's nothing you need? - No
Excuse me, s/r.
We were here Tuesday regard/ng the Sabz/an case.
I don't remember
The man who pretended to be Mohsen MakhmaIbaf.
We have stacks of fiIes here
I can't remember aII the names invoIved
CouId you be more specific?
Yes, I was here on Tuesday.
You sa/d you'd speak to the judge and g/ve us h/s answer.
We'd I/ke to f/Im the tr/aI.
Ah, right
Now I remember
I passed that fiIe on to the judge
He's studying it now
HeIIo.
Excuse me, s/r. Were you g/ven the Sabz/an f/Ie?
- The one you want to fiIm? - Yes.
Yes
We'd I/ke your author/zat/on to f/Im the tr/aI.
And we'd I/ke the tr/aI date brought forward.
It's set for January 19, but we'd I/ke /t to be earI/er.
Yes, it's set for January 19,
so we'II hear it on the 19th
Why do you insist on moving it?
It's for our shoot/ng scheduIe.
We aIso need a perm/t
to f/Im /n the courtroom, /f poss/bIe.
I took a Iook at this case,
and I don't see anything worth fiIming
- You rev/ewed the f/Ie? - Yes
We're st/II at the preparat/on stage,
but we're /nterested due to /ts connect/on w/th c/nema.
You have more /nterest/ng cases?
Yes, invoIving more serious charges
This is a case of petty fraud
It seems he received 1 ,900 tomans from Mr Ahankhah,
apparentIy to take a taxi
He aIso passed himseIf off as Mr MakhmaIbaf
W/II you aIIow us to f/Im /n the courtroom?
OnIy if the higher authorities aIIow it
- And that wouId be... ? - The Department of Justice
If they don't object, I don't
You don't object? Thank you very much.
It's aII right with me
Scene 1 , Shot 1 , Law Courts, Nov 9
- Mr. Sabz/an, do you remember me? - Yes
Where d/d we meet?
You came to prison
We'd I/ke to f/Im th/s tr/aI. Is that aII r/ght w/th you?
Yes
because you're my audience
- Who /s? - You are
Why's that?
- Because of my interest - What /nterest?
In art
FiIm
We have two cameras.
Th/s one has a cIose-up Iens. You know what that /s, r/ght?
ActuaIIy, I don't know
It has a very t/ght focus.
The other has a w/de-angIe Iens.
That one w/II f/Im the courtroom. Th/s one w/II stay on you.
When I saw you /n pr/son,
you toId me that you wouId pIead gu/Ity.
But some th/ngs are more compIex than they seem
and not easy for aII to understand.
Th/s camera /s here so you can expIa/n th/ngs
that peopIe m/ght f/nd hard to understand or accept.
The judge w/II beg/n by read/ng the charges.
If there's anyth/ng need/ng spec/aI attent/on
or that you f/nd quest/onabIe,
expIa/n /t to th/s camera.
Okay
- ShaII we begin? - Yes.
In the name of AIIah
The accused is Mr Hossein Sabzian
Who are the pIaintiffs?
Mr Ahankhah, Mrs Mohseni, and Mehrdad Ahankhah
- Three pIaintiffs in aII? - Yes
Before we proceed, I invite the parties
to settIe their differences amicabIy
ShouId pIaintiffs wish to withdraw their compIaint now,
they may do so
Otherwise we shaII begin the triaI
I do not withdraw my compIaint for myseIf
nor for my famiIy,
and I'd Iike my son Mehrdad to speak on our behaIf
Very weII Let us begin
The court asks Mr Ahankhah to state his compIaint
Mr Hossein Sabzian approached our famiIy,
passing himseIf off as Mr MakhmaIbaf
He cIearIy intended
at best to commit fraud,
and at worst, burgIary
But thanks to my father's vigiIance,
his pIans were thwarted, and he was arrested
THE CYCLIST
Excuse me, where did you get that book?
Where did you buy that book?
In a bookstore
- CouId you give me the address? - You can have it
You're very kind, but I'd --
PIease take it I wrote it
You wrote it?
ReaIIy? - Yes
- You're Mr MakhmaIbaf? - Yes
PIeased to meet you
That's very kind of you
If you'd Iike, I'II autograph it
- Thank you - You're weIcome
Mr MakhmaIbaf,
why do you use pubIic transport?
What do you mean?
Famous directors usuaIIy use their own cars
They don't take the bus
I often take the bus
to Iook for interesting ideas for fiIms
Did you see my fiIm?
Yes, with my chiIdren It was very good
- Just once? - Yes
It's a fiIm you have to see a few times
I don't have the time, but my chiIdren go
My two boys are interested in fiIm
They're both engineers - Which one's more interested?
The younger one was more enthusiastic
- He saw it too? - Yes, we saw it together
- What did he think of it? - He Iiked it
- Anything that bothered him? - Not reaIIy
- What does he do? - The oIder one's a mechanicaI engineer
The younger one's a civiI engineer
The oIder one couIdn't find work in his fieId
He's working in a bakery in Mazandaran
The younger one graduated
but hasn't found a job yet
He heIps out at a computing firm, though he studied civiI engineering
My daughter here just took her university entrance exams
That's your daughter?
She just graduated She goes to the movies too
What's your son interested in?
He's very interested in art and Iiterature
Has he written any screenpIays?
Just for himseIf
So he's interested in fiIm?
Yes, very
And design?
Yes, it's part of his fieId He does a Iot on the computer
So he's interested in art?
Very much so
My boys wiII be thriIIed
to hear I met you
They can contact me if they'd Iike
What's your address?
My address and phone are on the back
Right there
Thank you I'II teII them
If you have a phone, I couId caII and answer any questions
Here's some paper
I have a pen
- Here's your pen - Thanks
You didn't write your Iast name
Ahankhah
Driver, I'II get off here
Getting off?
Yes Excuse me
- I hope we meet again - Yes, I hope so
- Thank you - Thank you for the book
What do you mean by fraud?
What exactIy did he do?
He passed himseIf off as Mr MakhmaIbaf, the fiImmaker,
to get cIose to our famiIy
He inspected every room in our house,
as if pIanning to fiIm there,
so as to gather information to carry out a burgIary
Mr Hossein Sabzian,
you stand accused of fraud
and attempted fraud
You are to defend yourseIf on these two counts
How do you respond to these charges?
If guiIty, expIain how you intended to commit fraud
As for burgIary --
You're not on triaI for burgIary,
onIy fraud and attempted fraud
As far as the attempted fraud you mention
that was not my intention
LegaIIy it might be an acceptabIe charge,
but moraIIy it is not
I have a great interest in the arts
I saw Iots of movies as a chiId
Later on
I'd pIay with my friends and pretend I was a director
Our games were mostIy about the arts
But I didn't have the means to pursue those things,
and I deveIoped a kind of compIex about it
For there to be fraud
there has to be some eIement of deception,
Iike using a car or carrying a briefcase to Iook the part
I never did that That was not my intention
What was your motive for passing yourseIf off as Mr MakhmaIbaf?
- He's someone I -- - What was your motive?
I admire him for the fiIms he's given society
and the suffering he portrays in his fiIms
He spoke for me and depicted my suffering,
especiaIIy in Marr/age of the BIessed,
just as Mr Kiarostami does, especiaIIy in The TraveIer.
You couId say I'm exactIy Iike that traveIer
I reaIIy Iiked that fiIm
Due to his passion for soccer,
that boy takes pictures with a camera that has no fiIm
to raise money to go to a soccer match
But he oversIeeps and misses the game, as I feeI I have done
I know I'm guiIty in the eyes of the court,
but my Iove of art shouId be taken into account
You haven't answered the question
Why did you pass yourseIf off as Mr MakhmaIbaf
to the Ahankhah famiIy?
Isn't that fraud?
I wish I was in his pIace I mean, I wish I was Iike him
One of the pIaintiffs cIaims
that the accused received 1 ,900 tomans from him
What was the money for?
When he Ieft our house after his first visit,
my motorcycIe was parked nearby
He saw it and asked if it was mine
I said it was
He asked me to give him a Iift
I said okay
As I was getting the bike,
he turned and jokingIy said to my father
that if we got in an accident,
30 or 40 of his fans and crew members
wouId ransack our house, and we aII Iaughed
As we rode aIong,
he spoke about fiImmaking as if he were MakhmaIbaf
He asked if I had any questions, and I asked a few,
which he answered very cIeverIy,
meaning that when he couIdn't answer,
he'd say something vague
I just figured that as a fiImmaker,
there are aspects of his work
that he doesn't Iike to taIk about
Then he toId me
he'd just gotten an interesting idea for a fiIm
about two peopIe on a motorcycIe
One Ioses his waIIet
and has no other money on him
Then he said that that had happened to him
When he got off Iater, he said he had no money
I thought in that case he'd need
50 or 100 tomans to get home
But he said he needed something costing 1 ,500 tomans
As I counted out 1 ,500 to give him,
he said that actuaIIy 2,000 wouId be perfect
I counted out 1 ,950,
keeping 50 that I needed myseIf
and giving him the rest,
which he put in his pocket
Then he said that the interesting idea he'd had for a fiIm was Iike that:
Two men ride aIong on a motorcycIe for haIf an hour
Because one has Iost his money,
the other Iends him some,
and they become good friends
I was deIighted to have met
a director down-to-earth enough
to borrow money Iike that
- So you borrowed 1 ,900 tomans? - Yes
Why? Because you needed it
or to see what kind of man he was?
I needed it
- Does that just/fy your act/ons? - No
W/th the court's perm/ss/on,
expIa/n why you chose to pass yourseIf off
as MakhmaIbaf,
because so far I don't th/nk you reaIIy have.
Being MakhmaIbaf was very hard for me
How so? Wasn't /t your cho/ce?
It was hard for me
to take on his identity
and convince them
- Of what? - That I was MakhmaIbaf
It was hard to pIay a director for them,
despite the seIf-confidence it gave me
and the respect they showed me
They gave me their attention and respect
- Who d/d? - The famiIy
They did whatever I wanted
If I'd asked them to move a heavy dresser, they wouId have
If I'd asked them to cut down a tree, they wouId have
Before, no one wouId ever have obeyed me Iike that,
because I am just a poor man
But because I pretended to be this famous person,
they wouId do whatever I said
But whenever I'd Ieave their house,
I'd be back to my oId seIf,
even that night when I took the money
I'd reaIize I was the same oId Sabzian
desperate for a IittIe pocket money
so he couId get home to that godforsaken pIace
And once there, he wouIdn't even have the money to buy his kid a treat
So I'd reaIize I was stiII the same poor guy,
aIone and back in his sociaI cIass
So I'd go to sIeep, and when I'd wake up
and think about going there to pIay a roIe for them,
even if it was reaIIy hard for me, I stiII wanted to go back
Because of my passion for cinema,
and above aII because they respected me
and supported me moraIIy, I reaIIy got into the part
It encouraged me to pIay the roIe better,
to where I even feIt I was a director
I was reaIIy him
I feIt Iike I reaIIy was a director I reaIIy was him
So I'd pIay that roIe,
but when I'd Ieave and head back home,
I'd have to shed that character
If you'd gotten money,
couId you have kept up the roIe even away from the/r house?
Yes A director can't be poor
He has to have money
He can't be so heIpIess that he can't afford a treat for his kid
He can't wake up in the morning
to find there's not a crumb to feed his famiIy
and have to scrambIe to find food
That made it hard to go back to pIaying a director
But again, when they respected me
and beIieved I reaIIy was a director,
their trust gave me confidence
The fact he Ient you money gave you conf/dence?
Yes, when he Ient me money,
I reaIized
he was convinced I was a director
And you d/dn't /ntend to g/ve /t back?
I did
but I didn't see
where I'd get the money from
And besides,
he was so keen to be in a fiIm
that I wished I had money to make a fiIm
so as not to disappoint him
- Excuse me - Go ahead
The foIIowing Thursday, he insisted
that we aII go to the movies together
to see The CycI/st.
Then we'd discuss the fiIm
as a starting point for our fiIm, ''The House of the Spider''
The CycI/st was showing at a theater near our house,
but he wanted us to see it at the RepubIic,
which was quite a ways from our house
He cIaimed they were showing a Iess censored version,
so we had to see it there
That's one of the things that aroused our suspicions
Why insist that we aII go? We didn't even have a car
He said it didn't matter, that he'd caII a cab
He even asked a friend of ours to bring his father's car
He aIso said he'd go separateIy,
because if his fans saw him at the theater,
we might be inconvenienced by aII the commotion
Mr Sabzian, did you hear that?
''When spite comes aIong, art dons a veiI''
I'd Iike to ask Mr Ahankhah,
who accuses me of intending to burgIe his house --
You're not accused of that
He mereIy mentioned it in passing
It's not part of the case, so stop bringing it up
Mr Ahankhah and the others named in the compIaint
thought you might be part of a gang
who were pIanning to burgIe their house
I categoricaIIy deny that
and that you insisted they go to the movie
to get them out of the house
so your accompIices couId steaI their possessions
That's not true? - AbsoIuteIy not
But you admit
you intended to misappropriate MakhmaIbaf's name?
Yes
Your Honor, as he's expIa/ned and you've conf/rmed,
he had no /ntent/on of steaI/ng anyth/ng.
But /t /sn't yet cIear
why he wanted the whoIe fam/Iy to go see the mov/e.
I'd I/ke h/m to expIa/n
h/s mot/ve for do/ng that.
That night
my biggest motivation for seeing the fiIm together
at the theater
was so they'd become more interested in the fiIm
and have more respect for me as a director --
a director who understands the suffering of society,
who keenIy understands its iIIs
and deaIs with another sociaI cIass
as though it were his own
I wanted to teII them, ''Change your mentaIity
Don't think a director is different from ordinary peopIe
He's one of you''
This is the behavior of a director who's humbIe and cIose to the peopIe
I wanted to prove it to them
by going to the cinema together
But since they didn't accept my proposition,
I said, ''Okay, I'II go aIone
You go ahead, and I'II get there before you''
I took the bus to the theater,
hoping to get there without them seeing me
But when I got my ticket and went inside,
they were aIready standing by the staircase,
but they didn't see me
I went up to their friend and said
I'd been waiting a Iong time
They asked me how I'd come
I said, ''I toId you I'd get here first,
that I didn't want to be recognized,
or eIse peopIe wouId crowd around us for autographs
I wanted to avoid that and arrive incognito
I don't Iike to be recognized''
How wouId you have reacted
/f someone had taken you for MakhmaIbaf?
If it was outside the theater,
I'd have tried not to attract attention,
but I sensed --
WouId you have tracked them to the/r house
and been the/r MakhmaIbaf for a few days too?
Yes
How Iong
after his first visit to your house
was he arrested?
When he Ieft us that Tuesday,
he said he Iiked me
and that he wanted me to pIay the Iead
in his next fiIm
He added that he'd be back to see us
He said he'd come to Iunch that Thursday,
and that soup was his favorite meaI
How many days after you met was he arrested,
and what were the grounds?
He first came on Tuesday, then Thursday,
and it aII ended on Saturday
What were the reasons for his arrest?
Had you become suspicious?
Yes ActuaIIy, my father
had suspected him from the start,
and he discussed our doubts with Mr Mohseni
The description Mr Mohseni gave
seemed to fit
Mr Mohseni, you've foIIowed this from the outset
You know that everything has unfoIded
just as I predicted from the start
It was Mehrdad who insisted
that maybe the man reaIIy was MakhmaIbaf
FortunateIy, something happened yesterday
that convinced him that he wasn't MakhmaIbaf
EarIy yesterday the so-caIIed MakhmaIbaf came here
to rehearse with my chiIdren
Mehrdad came home with a newspaper
and said in a Ioud voice, ''CongratuIations, Mr MakhmaIbaf''
The man was baffIed and didn't understand
The newspaper said
that The CycI/st had won an award
at the Rimini FestivaI
He stood there dazed, unabIe to respond
He got out of it in his own cunning fashion,
saying the award wasn't for the fiIm but for the musicaI score
- He was thinking of the Fajr FestivaI - ProbabIy
So they continued with rehearsaI,
but Mehrdad had reaIized that the man wasn't MakhmaIbaf
But sometimes
news Iike that doesn't reach a director right away
But the newspaper said Mr MakhmaIbaf
had wired his thank-you to the festivaI,
so he had to know about it
They continued rehearsing, and then they went to the movies
After the fiIm,
he expressed a desire
to spend the night at our house,
so he came and sIept here
Around 6:00 the next morning,
I woke up to hear him taIking with Mehrdad
He said he wanted to go
out into the mountains
Mehrdad was sure he wouIdn't return,
but he Ient him his coat for the coId,
and the man Ieft
We thought
we might never see him again,
but IuckiIy -- or unIuckiIy -- he caIIed a haIf hour ago
and asked Mehrdad to pick him up in town,
so off he went
They'II be here any moment now
As I toId you,
my friend Mr Farazmand has interviewed most of these artists
I hope this man reaIIy is MakhmaIbaf
Excuse me I hear a motorcycIe
Go on in I'II be right there
Speak of the deviI
- HeIIo How are you? - Fine, thanks
Come in
My friend, Mr Mohseni
This is Mr MakhmaIbaf
PIease sit down
- How are you? - Fine, thank you
I trust you sIept weII
ActuaIIy, I didn't
- You didn't? - I couIdn't sIeep
I'm sorry your night
in our home wasn't restfuI
One often sIeeps poorIy
in someone eIse's home
Yet a sage feeIs at home anywhere
But I'm no sage
You certainIy Iook Iike one
Appearances can deceive
WouId you Iike something to eat?
I had a big breakfast, so I'm not reaIIy hungry,
but I'd Iove for us aII to share
a meaI together
On weekends our chiIdren usuaIIy get up Iate
and just have Iunch
But I can make you some eggs
No, it wouId have been nice to eat together I'm not hungry
Whether you're a sage or not,
aII we can offer you today are eggs
I won't say no
Fix him some eggs
Don't go to any troubIe
So it seems you're fond of the mountains
Do you go hiking often?
Sometimes
This morning, Iooking out the window,
I feIt so cIose to nature and the mountains
It seems to me
that man reaIIy needs to be cIose to nature
One must be in touch with the coIors of nature
to remove the rust covering one's heart
''I asked, Why is your face hidden from me?
She repIied, It is you who are hidden''
Human beings hide their true seIves
''You yourseIf are the veiI, for my face is reveaIed''
That's the issue: to uncover that true face
That's why I needed
to go up into the mountains to study myseIf
Nature is a mirror in which we can study ourseIves
If you're so fond of nature, why not Iive a more naturaI Iife?
Mehrdad, you don't Iook ready for rehearsaI
I'm waiting for the others Have your Iunch
You're hoIding me up today
Have your Iunch
What about me seems unnaturaI to you?
That's not what I meant
I'm just saying that today's Friday,
a day off for most peopIe You shouId rest a bit too
When there's work to be done, the day doesn't matter
We have so IittIe time to do our reaI work
That's why I aIways make work my priority --
because it increases one's opportunities
A person can't decide when to rest
''Don't put off what you can do today,
for who knows what fate wiII bring tomorrow''
We can't even know what Iies ten minutes ahead,
so we have to make use of every opportunity
That's why I make the most of everything
If I have the chance now, why not use it?
You can't aIways choose
when to work and when to rest
So I can't decide to stop working just because it's a weekend
I Iove my work,
so I'II pursue it no matter the day
AII the weekdays I don't work make up for the weekends I do
We spent many days just waiting Then finaIIy work came aIong
If your boys maintain the same interest they showed the first day,
I think I couId reaIIy work with them night and day
But their interest seems to be fading I don't know why
EspeciaIIy Mehrdad, who's graduaIIy stopped giving
the beautifuI performances he was giving before, unfortunateIy
What can I say?
I don't know why
In the beginning he was interested and enthusiastic
If he showed reaI interest, I'd have worked day and night
without a probIem
Anyway
Yes? Come in
It's Mr Farazmand
Excuse me
- How are you? - Fine, thank you
Sorry to bother you
I hope I'm not interrupting - Not at aII
- I beIieve you've met - How are you?
- Mr MakhmaIbaf - PIeased to meet you
PIease sit down
How are you, Mr Ahankhah?
I hope I'm not interrupting
Mr Ahankhah
may I have a word with you in private?
Mehrdad, we have rehearsaI, you know
Have your Iunch I'II be right there
Mr Ahankhah, I need a tape recorder
Mr Farazmand needs a tape recorder
- We just have this one - No, a portabIe
We don't have one
- What about your neighbors? - I'II ask them
Let him finish his Iunch
Sorry, ma'am
Don't Iet them take him
Don't worry He'II be back
Is this your first offense
of this kind?
Yes, it's the first
- I've heard that others have -- - Taken me for MakhmaIbaf?
So it's not the first time
PeopIe have taken me for him,
and sometimes I'd say I was him
Are you sorry for what you did?
Yes, I am,
and whatever you decide is acceptabIe to me
Whatever verdict you render is fine
I reaIIy regret what I did, because I toyed with their feeIings
But I never had the sIightest intention
of steaIing anything from them
I'm sorry for what I did, and I don't regret my time in prison
Prison is good for the good and bad for the wicked
It teaches the good a Iesson but onIy makes the wicked worse
I regret what I did, but --
- Have you been in prison before? - Never
- Your occupation? - I worked in a print shop
Why did you inspect their house
room by room?
I was pIaying the part of a director,
describing where shots shouId be fiImed
and what decor shouId be used
Have you ever worked in fiIm?
No, but I've read screenpIays and books on the subject
So I'd give directions
and say to come this way, or run over there
Or when we were outside --
You asked them to cut down some trees in their yard
I said that for the scenes in the yard,
the trees wouId bIock
the nice view of the house,
and Mr Ahankhah said he'd cut them down
But I said no, that we couId try other angIes
Was the idea of fiIming at their house
yours or theirs?
They weIcomed my idea
Did you intend to ask them for money for the production?
To produce a fiIm?
I said that if it worked out,
then we'd have to do something
I mean, it was my intention
that if they put up money --
If he'd said, ''I'II put up money for your fiIm,''
I'd have done it --
but I wouIdn't have Iet things get that far
Very weII He's expressed remorse
I'd Iike to ask the pIaintiffs
if they wouId agree to pardon him
Of course, by Iaw his offense must be punished,
but if the pIaintiffs pardon him,
the court can reduce his sentence
If he'd shown some honesty, I'd have no objection
But Iistening to him, I get the impression
he's stiII pIaying a roIe, even if a sIightIy different one
Instead of pIaying MakhmaIbaf,
now he's pIaying the sensitive souI
I'd Iike to ask Mr Farazmand to teII the court
about the various peopIe who contacted him regarding this man
You have reIevant information?
Yes, I do I've been foIIowing this case
What was the titIe of your articIe?
''Bogus MakhmaIbaf Arrested''
''Bogus MakhmaIbaf'?
When the articIe came out,
I received Iots of phone caIIs
from readers
One woman caIIed
and in tears said
that a man cIaiming to be MakhmaIbaf had deceived her
He'd even promised to marry her
and give her a Iead roIe in his fiIm
She wanted to see him and turn him over to authorities
I insisted she come to court or to my office
and give me her address and teIephone
so I couId confirm her story
and Iet her confront him, but she refused
Other anonymous caIIers from a print shop said
that the accused had misappropriated funds,
such as keeping the payment from a paper deIivery
Mr Sabzian?
Concerning the Iady's phone caII --
Since you're singIe now, you couId have --
I strongIy deny that, and I'm prepared to confront her
I worked as a saIesman for a trading company
I'd take some soap
or food products
and put them in my bag and go Iooking for cIients
The day I met Mrs Ahankhah, I was Iow on money
I hadn't even had Iunch, and I was hungry
I was supposed to go to my aunt's that night,
which I did
The next day I was hungry again
I thought since Mrs Ahankhah had beIieved I was MakhmaIbaf,
I'd go there in hopes of getting some Iunch
I'd Iike to add
an important fact
In my notebook,
on the Iast day,
the day I was arrested,
under Mr Ahankhah's address,
I wrote
''the tragic finaIe,''
that this was the end of a tragedy
That's what I sensed and wrote
I'm sure they read it at the poIice station
I was certain I'd be arrested that day
because of the money I'd received
and the fact I'd spent the night there
But I couIdn't stop myseIf from going there
- Why? - I enjoyed what I was doing
I enjoyed pIaying the part of MakhmaIbaf
and inspiring their respect and admiration,
and aIso the fact they might give me financiaI support
Without aII that, my spirits wouId have faIIen
And when he picked me up on his motorcycIe,
I couId sense it compIeteIy, but I went anyway
We got to their house, and I knew I'd be arrested
I figured there was just a 20º/° chance I wouIdn't be,
because when I spoke with Mehrdad on the phone,
he asked if I'd wait for him
at Hosseinabad Square
I said I wouId, that he shouId come get me
He was surprised to find me there, and we headed home
But I knew I'd be arrested, and I went wiIIingIy
My notebook's at the poIice station
They took my bag, so I'm sure they read it
- Where's that paper? - UnfortunateIy I tore it up,
and their address as weII, because I thought it was aII over
When d/d you reaI/ze they knew you weren't MakhmaIbaf?
On the Iast day
That night I spent with them,
I saw a picture from MakhmaIbaf's Marr/age of the BIessed--
the scene where Roya NonahaIi is cIeaning the fIoor,
and MakhmaIbaf's in the picture
I figured that before I got there,
they'd been Iooking at fiIm magazines
to find a picture of him and show it to me
to see how I wouId react
They showed me the picture and said,
''Mr MakhmaIbaf, you were much more handsome
when you were younger''
I said I was just younger then
I quickIy moved on,
but I sensed
they'd started to catch on a bit
But I convinced myseIf that they weren't yet certain
that I wasn't MakhmaIbaf
How far were you go/ng to take th/s?
As far as they were prepared
to go
When he came to our house that Thursday,
he had saIt-and-pepper hair
But in the magazine picture, his hair was bIack
He voIunteered on his own that he was younger then,
and his hair had been thick and bIack,
and now it was gray and thinner
When he came back that Saturday,
he'd dyed his hair
How does he expIain that?
My mother, who is here,
can confirm that I was dyeing my hair
Iong before this whoIe episode began
I simpIy wanted to Iook a bit younger
You are young
I've been dyeing my hair for a Iong time,
but not for the reason suggested here
- Have you ever married? - Yes
- You have a wife and famiIy? - We're separated
Why is that?
I was poor and out of work
- Any chiIdren? - Two
- Where are they? - My wife has one I have the other
- Who Iooks after the one with you? - My mother
- Where's your mother? - She Iives near Mamazan
I mean /s she here?
Yes, in the back, in the bIack veiI
- Are you Mr Sabzian's mother? - Yes
- Do you know why he divorced? - Yes
Why?
He works in a print shop,
but the work is on and off Our house is smaII
After he married, I gave them a room in our house
They were fine for seven years,
but then she began compIaining
that it was a poor house that heId no future for her
He toId her
that if she wasn't happy, they shouId divorce
They agreed that she'd keep one chiId and me the other
He Iives with me
When he has work, he gives me 50 tomans a day
We just Iive our Iives, and everyone knows us
He's a good boy He's never been in troubIe before
Why didn't you try to post baiI for him?
I went to see the officer in charge
I aIso asked to see Mr Ahankhah,
but the authorities said they'd handIe it
Every time I feeI sad in prison
I think of the Koran verse that says,
''Speak AIIah's name, and your heart wiII be consoIed,''
but I feeI no consoIation
Whenever I feeI depressed or overwheImed,
I feeI the urge to shout to the worId
the anguish of my souI,
the torments I've experienced, aII my sorrows --
but no one wants to hear about them
Then a good man comes aIong
who portrays aII my suffering in his fiIms,
and I can go see them over and over again
They show the eviI faces
of those who pIay with the Iives of others,
the rich who pay no attention
to the simpIe materiaI needs of the poor
That's why I feIt compeIIed
to take soIace in that screenpIay
I read it, and it brings caIm to my heart
It says the things I wish I couId express
Now that you've pIayed th/s part,
do you th/nk you're a better actor than d/rector?
I don't want to be presumptuous
but I'm more interested in acting
I think I couId express
aII the bad experiences I've had,
aII the deprivation I've feIt with every fiber of my being
I think I couId
get these feeIings across
through my acting
Aren't you act/ng for the camera r/ght now?
What are you do/ng now?
I'm speaking of my suffering
I'm not acting
I'm speaking from the heart
This isn't acting For me, art
is the experience of what you've feIt inside
If one couId cuItivate that experience,
it's Iike when ToIstoy says
that art is the inner experience cuItivated by the artist
and conveyed to his audience
Given the positive feeIings I've experienced,
as weII as the deprivation and suffering,
and my interest in acting,
I think I couId be an effective actor
and convey that inner reaIity
Then why d/d you pretend to be a d/rector
/nstead of an actor?
PIaying the part of a director is a performance in itseIf
To me, that is acting
What part wouId you I/ke to pIay?
My own
Haven't you aIready done that?
Mr Sabzian, you've heard the charges
and admitted at Ieast some guiIt
You may now state any finaI arguments in your defense
I ask the honorabIe Ahankhah famiIy
to forgive me in the eternaI sense
In the IegaI sense,
they can forgive or punish me
I ask the court's forgiveness as weII
Do you vow never to do this again?
Yes, I give my word
In view of --
- Your Honor, pIease forgive him - PIease be seated
As a descendant of the house of the Prophet,
I ask you to pIease forgive him
In view of his young age,
and the fact he has chiIdren to support,
and the fact he's confessed and has no prior record
and vows never to repeat such mistakes,
I ask the pIaintiffs
to forgive him if they can
But as I said before, their pardon
couId onIy be considered extenuating circumstances
Are the pIaintiffs wiIIing?
I am wiIIing
to withdraw my compIaint in the hope that Mr Sabzian
wiII become a usefuI member of society
Now that he's expressed remorse for his actions,
if my son Mehrdad is in agreement,
I wiII withdraw my compIaint
I consider him to be sick,
for reasons not reIevant to these proceedings
But everyone knows that the reasons are sociaI maIaise
and unempIoyment, which Iead to corruption
And I think that if he's freed
and finds a proper job,
he wiII Iead an honest Iife
Therefore I agree to withdraw my compIaint
We Iost h/m.
He d/dn't wa/t /n the r/ght spot.
I can't see h/m. Stop roII/ng?
We can't redo th/s shot.
Now I see h/m -- beh/nd the tax/.
- I see h/m. - See h/m?
We just Iost sound.
What do you mean?
It's e/ther the jack or Mr. MakhmaIbaf's IapeI m/ke.
It's oId equ/pment.
It has a Ioose w/re.
It's 15 years oId.
The sound's back.
W/II /t go out aga/n?
It's back for now.
Are you Mr Sabzian?
How are you?
Don't cry
There's no need for that
When did you get out? - Just now
Let me Iook at you
I have to thank you
When did you get out?
Look at me
Let's go
This way
You okay?
Where are you going now? - The Ahankhahs'
I'II take you Have you seen me before?
- In the movie - What movie?
Marr/age of the BIessed.
Do you prefer being MakhmaIbaf or Sabzian?
Even I'm tired of being Makh--
I'II get my bike
HoId this for me
How Iong were you in prison?
When you met that woman on the bus
You can get some fIowers here
Count your money
CarefuI with your money
Here You need money?
Not yeIIow, my friend
Pick a different coIor
Those red ones are better
Okay back there? - Yeah
Let's go
- Yes? - HeIIo
It's Hossein Sabzian
- Who? - Sabzian
MakhmaIbaf
- Yes? - This is Mr MakhmaIbaf
HeIIo, Mr. MakhmaIbaf. Come /n.
What's the date, Hossein?
The third
- When did you first come here? - Forty days ago
Dry those tears
That won't do
HeIIo
WeIcome to our home
You know Mr Sabzian
PIease forgive me
This isn't the oId Mr Sabzian
I hope you'II see him in a new Iight
I hope he'II be good now and make us proud of him