Bodyless, a different work but a victim.
Sahebe Pooyan Mehr – Cinema and Television Critic
Exclusive to Cinemadrame, the film “Bodyless,” which faced many controversies during its screening at Fajr 42, is a crime genre work that seems to stem from one of the toughest cases in recent years. The general public knows it by the names Arman and Ghazaleh, a case that was buried with silence and the execution of Arman, and the truth of the matter was never revealed. However, according to the writer of the film, this story is not limited to a single case and is inspired by several instances.
The new pen of the director of the successful film “Alfazar,” Mr. Kazem Daneshi, is now directed by Morteza Alizadeh in his first experience. This might have been the reason to remove a good work from the competition section and transfer it to the “New Look” section, which, in my opinion, is merely a justification.
It has a good point of view and screams two clear messages: First, it constantly emphasizes the importance of proper communication between parents and children so they don’t seek affection outside the home. The second, which is a controversial point, wants to show opposition to the death penalty even within the judiciary itself. But since there is no way other than forgiveness by the victim’s family, the responsible officials can’t do much.
The screenplay adheres to the principles and standards of a cinematic work to a satisfactory degree. The plot twists are properly timed, and the climax is also effective. It has beautiful suspense elements that continuously surprise the audience, even though the story is based on a real event, and minds are prepared for the same result. But until the last moment, it’s impossible to guess what will happen, whether the victim’s family will forgive or not! It has an average level of connectivity, with suitcases that are the key to the mystery of the story, anti-values that become value-driven through coercion, and a well-developed hero investigator who overcomes the obstacles of an anti-hero father, and justice is served.
Personally, I believe that if there had been more attention to casting, this film would have been one of the excellent works in Morteza Alizadeh’s career.
There are noticeable weaknesses in acting. Navid Pourfaraj, whose acting abilities we’ve seen before, has not fully portrayed a complete investigator by the middle of the film. His tone of voice doesn’t align with his body language. On the other hand, Soroush Sahat couldn’t make the role believable enough. To be honest, the incredible acting of Elnaz Shakerdoost was able to carry the narrative forward on her own, making it feel like she is experiencing all the suffering, which is exactly what we expect from a professional actor—creating the right emotion in themselves and then conveying it to the audience, which Golara Abbasi also eventually manages to do.
The set design is good, and the atmosphere of the house of Arghavan, the missing girl, suits the sorrow that dominates it. In other aspects, the taste of the set designer is evident.
The actors’ clothing and color choices, except in a few cases, have been thoughtfully done. Where sorrow and grief dominate, the clothes are black and messy, contrasting with the places where power and wealth are flaunted, and neatness in appearance is clearly visible.
In editing, some excess shots could have been cut, avoiding jumps, and the color grading and lighting could have been better.
Although I believe the director was obliged to pay more attention to overseeing the editing and rewriting some dialogues and ensuring proper performances from the actors and casting the right ones, I still consider “Bodyless” deserving in many aspects. During two days, eight films were screened at the festival, and we only saw two well-made and proper films with a good storyline. One of them is definitely “Bodyless.” This is why we are amazed by its absence from the competition section. They didn’t wait a second for the long lines of spectators to enter, starting the screening immediately to show that the film would be shown under any circumstances. However, to everyone’s surprise, the next day, they postponed a screening until the football game finished.
