Alligator Blood raised the standard of comedy!
Sahebe Pooyan Mehr – Cinema and Television Critic
Exclusive to Cinemadrame, in his directorial debut, Javad Ezati has been very successful. Alligator Blood is a high-standard comedy film that makes it hard to write a negative critique about it. No matter how I look at it, all I see is impeccable taste.
The editing had a fast rhythm, with consecutive and relevant cuts, excellent reaction choices, and a unique arrangement of shots that increased the pace of the film, along with its distinctive opening credits, which brought innovation.
The protagonist is a character played by the director himself. He and his friend get involved in an adventure where if they survive, many of their financial problems will be solved, but there’s a flaw, as in the end, he can’t defeat the anti-hero alone.
An anti-hero named Farid continuously creates obstacles for them. These plot twists are the very tension that makes the audience eagerly follow the film.
The central element is the dollar, the issue around which the whole plot and its struggles revolve.
I believe that if a good screenplay doesn’t have a suitable director, it will fail, and on the other hand, a good director can’t save a bad storyline. However, what happened in Alligator Blood is a good synergy between the writer and director, which elevated Mr. Pedram Afshar’s good screenplay. It’s clear that aside from adhering to the rules of creating a cinematic piece, Javad Ezati put all his years of experience into this film.
It has a strong start, the challenge begins early, and with the appearances of figures like Kambez Dirbaz, Mehran Ghafourian, Pejman Jamshidi, Mehdi Hosseini Nia, and Hooman Hajipour, the excitement reaches its peak. Here, we witness the art of acting, where everything is excellent: good expressions, physical flexibility, personalizing the role, and mastery in delivering dialogues, all of which contribute to successfully engaging the audience.
According to the director, during the making of the film, they decided to make a nonlinear screenplay linear. However, in my view, this decision, despite causing some ambiguity in the ending, didn’t disrupt the overall story.
The set and costume design are good. Arta Mahan, considering factors like social status and cultural level, has chosen outfits for each character that maintain visual beauty.
The soundtrack is excellent. Mr. Sakhavat, the composer, has breathed life into the film at crucial moments, using a variety of musical genres, such as comedy, romantic, energetic, and thrilling, while maintaining the rhythm.
I consider the director successful in refining the screenplay, overseeing the mise-en-scène, editing, music, sound, lighting, precise angles, and appropriate framing, achieving great performances from the actors and ensuring standard makeup.
I believe that when a good film in any genre is delivered to cinema, it makes it harder for other aspiring filmmakers, as once the audience sees a well-crafted narrative, they no longer pay much attention to low-quality films. I believe Javad Ezati’s first directorial experience could set a high expectation among the general public.
