Avant l'effondrement
An anonymous letter triggers a desperate search for the truth in this drama from acclaimed author Alice Zeniter.
96'
France
IFFR 2023
The story opens in Balochistan, in a small, scarcely ‘wired’ village bordering Iran and Afghanistan. Ahmad is an idealistic teacher in exile, educating the local community; his partner Niloofar, however, has spent time in jail in Tehran for the very same offence against the State. The disaccord between them is not only social but also personal. Ahmad's destiny collides with that of a family fleeing the Taliban; soon the intricate divisions of age and gender within that group will trigger other problems and entanglements – including a 'lovers on the run' intrigue that fleetingly recalls Murnau's classic Tabu (1931).
Across all the arresting, shifting peripeteia of its plot, Abbas Amini's film deftly dramatises the complicated question of commitment: do we commit ourselves to a political cause, a set of religious beliefs, or a person? And how do we negotiate the commitments of others, even those closest to us, when they are based on a very different value system?
With its sparse music score, densely naturalistic acting and unostentatious camera work, Endless Borders is almost a minimalistic suspense thriller (with Hitchcockian overtones), combined with a heated family melodrama – but it never loses sight of the serious and extremely timely issues that it raises.
– Adrian Martin
This film is part of the vfonds Freedomline. Click here for an overview of the other films that have been selected for the vfonds Freedomline.
IFFR 2023
Programme IFFR 2023
A diverse competition bridging the gap between popular, classic and art house cinema. An expert audience jury picks the winner.
Read more about this programmeAn anonymous letter triggers a desperate search for the truth in this drama from acclaimed author Alice Zeniter.
96'
France
IFFR 2023
An unfolding reverie, haunting us with notions that make the real world seem fragile.
96'
Mexico
IFFR 2023
A tense psychological thriller turns into a coolly existentialist study on the limits of (com)passion.
98'
Denmark
IFFR 2023