The Mirror (1997 film)
The Mirror (Persian: Ayneh) is a 1997 Iranian film directed by Jafar Panahi, about a little girl trying to find her way home from school.
Plot
Mina, a young girl, finds her mother has failed to pick her up from school, so she decides to walk home on her own. The movie is about her endeavor to find her way home amidst the noise, confusion and chaos of Tehran. Mina is dressed in school uniform (with a head scarf), has one arm in a cast and is holding a school bag in the other. She meets a lot of people on her way and most of them try to help her while others are surprisingly apathetic to her situation. The movie captures the little girl's progress from timidity to cautious bravery. Eventually the movie takes a turn when the girl looks into the camera for the first time and someone shouts "Mina, don't look into the camera" and the movie is a real life capture of events thereon (at least it seems like that). Mina announces that she doesn't want to act in the movie any more and wants to go home. So, she actually becomes the character she is portraying. It is not clear if this is part of the screenplay and made to look that way or if it's really like that. In the end she goes home after returning the microphone. Presumably the name Mirror comes from this transition of reel life into real life and mirroring its story.
Cast
- Mina Mohammad Khani — Little Girl / Mina
- Kazem Mojdehi
- Naser Omuni
- M. Shirzad
- T. Samadpour
Accolades
Award | Kategorie | Winner/Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Locarno International Film Festival | Golden Leopard | Jafar Panahi | Won |
Istanbul International Film Festival | Golden Tulip | Jafar Panahi | Won |
Singapore International Film Festival | Silver Screen Award (Best Asian Director) | Jafar Panahi | Won |
Golden Spike | Valladolid International Film Festival | Jafar Panahi | Nominated |