Death of Yazdgerd

Bahram Beyzai's 1982 Iranian film takes the death of the Sasanian king Yazdgerd as its subject. The king is found dead in a mill; the miller, his wife and their daughter are interrogated, and each tells the event differently. The film takes place in a single location and is adapted from his own play. The same event is acted out three times; with each telling the guilt moves to someone else, and the narrative does not say which version is true. Susan Taslimi leads, in a performance counted among the most cited in Iranian cinema. The dialogue is literary and close to theatre, and the playing is high-tempo. The film was shown briefly after the revolution and then kept out of circulation for a long time. Who it's for: those who like Iranian cinema and narratives rooted in theatre. Who it's not for: viewers expecting something specific to cinema; the film is almost entirely a staged text.