THE APPLE -- **** -- Massoumeh Naderi, Zahra Naderi, Ghorbanali Naderi, Soghra Behrosi, Azizeh Mohamadi; in Farsi, with English subtitles; not rated, probable PG (profanity, brief violence); exclusively at the Tower Theatre.
As that old axiom goes, truth is stranger than fiction. Unless, of course, the fiction in question is one that's based on some very strange truths.That's the case with "The Apple," a fact-based Iranian drama that might have become another melodrama in the hands of a more exploitative filmmaker. But the director, first-timer Samira Makhmalbaf, has crafted what appears to be a documentary instead.
Note the words "appears to be," because Makhmalbaf (daughter of acclaimed filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf) shot much of the film in a pseudo-documentary style, even though those portions of the films are a re-creation of events, rather than straightforward documentation of them.
If that's not peculiar enough, for the film's cast she used the real people involved -- an Iranian family involved in one of the country's biggest scandals, a tale of apparent parental neglect that made headlines around the world.
At the center of the controversy is Ghorbanali Naderi, a 65-year-old man accused of abusing his 12-year-old daughters, Massoumeh and Zahra, by locking them in the house -- making them prisoners, in essence.
The situation is brought to the attention of social services agencies by concerned neighbors, who are appalled to see the squalid conditions the family is living under and who take the girls away from their father, albeit briefly.
But to the man, a would-be holy man who receives donations for writing down people's prayers, he's justified because his blind wife is incapable of taking care of the girls while he's away. Besides, since the two are slightly disabled, he says he fears what will happen if they're left to run wild through the neighborhood.
At first, it appears those fears may be justified. Within minutes of being freed for a second time, the girls steal ice cream and get into a tussle with a young street vendor. But they also get their first true taste of freedom (which is symbolized by the object from which the film gets its name).
Meanwhile, their father gets a deserved lesson in humility when he becomes trapped in the house, and the case worker refuses to help him get out.
Makhmalbaf may use an odd method of storytelling -- especially when a straightforward documentary or drama would have been easier to make. But it is in keeping with Iranian cinema's continuing fascination with reality-based storytelling (other recent examples of the trend include "Taste of Cherry" and "The Mirror"), and besides, it's strangely poetic.
And although it's off-putting to hear the man defend his actions, it's laudable for the director to at least tell his side of the issue.
"The Apple" is not rated but would probably receive a PG for some scattered profanities and a brief shoving match.