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Secret Ballot [2002]


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Easily misunderstood masterpeice
Review date: 2007-11-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

This film is easily and often misunderstood, even though the storyline is simple. A box drops out of the sky close to the guardpost on an island in some Islamic country. Half an hour later a small boat appears, a woman gets off and orders the guard to accompany her to go and get votes on ballot day. After obtaining the votes, she gets picked up again and leaves. Why is this easy to misunderstand? Because the film communicates so much in a very simple way.

Firstly, it is a comedy - not the outward belly-laugh kind, but the inward warm-smile kind. Every single situation the two chief characters experience is absurd. Take for instance the scene where there is a red robot in the middle of the desert, without even a clear intersection. Also look out for the ballot agent literally not leaving any stone unturned to find the votes! Where have you ever heard of the ballot box going to the voters, instead of the voters going to the ballot box? One voter insists on Allah as a write-in candidate to vote for! The woman gets dropped off in a small boat, but gets picked up in a jetliner,which presumably also picks up all the other agents one by one. One can go on and on - but the tone of the film is so down-to-earth and realistic that you almost miss the tongue-in-cheek humour. Most people I have spoken to actually thought it was supposed to be totally realistic!

The film is also stunning social and political commentary. It raises questions on democracy (how can somebody who do not know you, your community or your situation "represent" you? What good is democracy if it makes absolutely no difference to your life?). It raises questions about gender discrimination, especially the role and capabilities of a woman (the guard insists at the beginning, embarrassed to be ordered around by a woman, "I thought you should have been a man"!). It raises questions about false deadlines - the fallacy of getting everything that needs to be done, done within an unrealistic deadline. It raises questions on religion (who do you really trust and believe in, God or the government?).

The film is also a human drama. The two main caharacters, despite their absurd situation, are depicted as very rounded individuals and during the day their respect, understanding and liking for each other is gradually enhanced. Once again this is very subtly done: note the change of tone in their talking to each other and the subject matter, note where they are sitting in the vehicle as the day progresses. At the end of the day, the guard wants to vote for the ballot agent!

To crown it all, it gives the uninitiated some better understanding of Islamic culture, idiosincracies and prejudice. Moving too slow? No way - you need a little time to savour what is happening. Outward action may be restricted, but through all the above themes there is a rich tapestry of events which you can enjoy.

The film accomplishes much with remarkably little special effects, it is gentle and warm and it leaves you with the feeling that you have seen something special, yet you don't know quite why you feel that way. Keep the above comments in mind and I am sure you will enjoy it tremendously.



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Reviews


Democracy storms a sleepy place
Review date: 2003-03-04 Rating: 6 out of 10

In the first scene of SECRET BALLOT, a large box is parachuted out of a plane flying out of the sunrise. It lands on an Iranian island, on the beach guarded by two soldiers. These are apparently the only two armed representatives of authority in the place, and "guard" is may be an overstatement. Catching smugglers is their assignment, but they do it with only one bed, one rifle, and one watch between them. In any case, inside the crate are a ballot box and instructions for the soldiers to expect the arrival of an elections agent at 8:00 AM. They're further ordered to escort the agent around the island and collect votes in that day's national election.

A half-hour late, a small motorboat lands on the beach, and off clambers the agent - a modern young woman complete with chador and a missionary zeal for her job, which must be completed by 5:00 PM. At first, the soldier on duty is reluctant to do the agent's bidding. After all, she's a woman, and this is Islamic Iran. However, after she waves the undeniable fact of "his orders" in his face, off they bounce in a jeep to harvest ballots for the box. The film's screenplay does not provide names for the agent or the soldier, but they're played by Nassim Abdi and Cyrus Abidi respectively.

The humor and pace of SECRET BALLOT is much like the island itself - sleepy. In fact, you may need a large java to stay focused on the English subtitles of the Farsi dialogue. But the film isn't without a gentle charm, especially if you're curious about the world around you and you've not been to this corner of it.

The soldier is, to put it charitably, a stolid, unimaginative sort. But he does know the pulse of the island. During the day's rounds, the agent, her idealism, and the "approved list" of candidates (from which each voter must select two) are confronted by the realities of the local electorate, e.g., woman who won't vote without instructions from their men, men who won't vote because their candidates aren't on the list, and a religious fundamentalist who insists on Allah as a write-in candidate. At day's end, the agent and the soldier see each other in a different light, and each is the better for it. We first suspect the change in perhaps the movie's most humorous scene when the soldier halts the jeep at a red light in the middle of nowhere with no other moving vehicles in sight.

SECRET BALLOT has no eye-popping special FX, white-knuckle action, belly laughs, or stunning dramatic moments. But I'm giving it a marginal thumbs-up because it's a small window on a world much different than my own, and I appreciate the perspicacity of the view.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Gholbahar Janghali
Cyrus Abidi
Youssef Habashi
Farrokh Shojaii
Nassim Abdi

Creators:
Nassim Abdi (Primary Contributor)
Cyrus Abidi (Primary Contributor)
Farzad Jadat (Cinematographer)
Babak Payami (Producer)
Babak Payami (Writer)
Babak Karimi (Editor)
Hooshangh Payami (Producer)
Marco Muller (Producer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Artificial Eye
Manufacturer: Artificial Eye
EAN: 5021866227306
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-02-24
Number of discs: 1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Running time: 105 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2001
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Farsi (Original Language)

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