“Dull Day” Film Review Session: “Despite All Hardships, We Must Stay!”
According to cinemadrame news agency, a review and discussion session for the cinematic film “Dull Day” was held on Sunday evening, June 9, by the Art and Experience Cinema Group. The event took place at Charsou Cineplex with the presence of Mahmoud Nouri, the director; Mohsen Aliakbari, the producer; and Mahmoud Gaberlou, a film expert and critic.
Insights from the Critics and Filmmakers
According to the public relations of the Art and Experience Cinema Group, film critic Mahmoud Gaberlou described “Dull Day” as a profound film because “it compels the audience to reflect and contemplate the situations of today’s youth. It explores the conditions young people live in, the problems and hardships they face, and what they should do for their future.”
He continued, “Mahmoud Nouri tries not to lead the audience to a final judgment, allowing them to ponder and think about the film’s subject matter at their leisure. Until now, there have been different perspectives on migration and the future of today’s youth, but Mahmoud Nouri has managed, in some parts, to subtly reject this migration with fairness, justice, and reasoning, conveying that despite all hardships, we must stay.”
Mahmoud Nouri, the director of “Dull Day,” spoke about the initial idea for the film and its production process: “The combination of several issues and themes led to the initial idea for the film. One of these issues was my own mental engagement with the concept of language. The more precise I became in learning a language, the more I realized that we don’t just learn words, but also a thought and behavior are conveyed with these words, creating a mental space for us and carrying a culture with them.”
He noted the difference between migration and merely traveling to other countries: “Usually, when we think of a recreational trip abroad, only the attractions of the trip come to mind. But when this process becomes prolonged and moves beyond a tourist state, the attractions gradually fade, replaced by concerns about livelihood and establishing communication and interaction with a new and different society.”
Nouri stated that in the film, he tried to address internal and external problems without resorting to political codes: “My attempt was to show the complex overall situation we are engaged with by portraying external animosities and some internal shortcomings. My effort was not to enter a prescriptive space that leads to a judgment about choices, because the situation in which young Iranians are stuck is truly not easy, and I wanted to accurately depict this atmosphere and situation as much as possible.”
The director of “Dull Day” added that he has a “passionate life” with cinema: “My connection with cinema goes beyond just a tool, and I am striving for a proper understanding of cinema; I don’t much appreciate a utilitarian view of cinema. Films live with us, and we with them. And the fact that this opportunity arose for “Dull Day” to be seen, it’s as if this film is entering our lives. If this opportunity for screening and being seen had not come, this film would not have entered our intellectual fabric.”
Mahmoud Nouri also commented on the role of music in the film: “Sadegh Tasbihi is truly an artistic person in film music, and I have collaborated with him in all my works so far; similarly, my father collaborated with him in the film ‘The Flight of My Hands.’ Sadegh Tasbihi has a very good understanding of what music is suitable for the film’s atmosphere.”
Mohsen Aliakbari, the film’s producer, spoke about his collaboration with a young director: “Today, we have so many educated young people that we truly enjoy working with Iranian youth, not only in cinema but also in industry, commerce, and art. We are witnessing the rise of thoughtful young individuals, and we must help as much as we can to enable our youth, with their good ideas, to enter the field of cinema.”
He described migration as one of the significant concerns and topics for families and society: “The concern of migration is a current discussion in our society, and when Mr. Nouri brought up the idea, I realized he had approached the subject much more maturely than I had thought.”
Mohsen Aliakbari thanked the Art and Experience Cinema Group for creating a favorable environment for the film’s screening: “Post-revolution Iranian cinema was a cinema of thought and ideas, and ‘Dull Day‘ belongs to this type of cinema. By supporting such films, we should encourage young people to strive, through extensive research and study, to make groundbreaking films.”
