The Silence

This is an insightful film about a blind boy in Tajikistan who works for a local instrument maker and what happens when he travels in to work each day. It's interesting to hear the traditional music and see the surroundings of such a foreign place. It's also surprising how well the boy (Khorsid) gets on given his blindness. This is a relatively short but interesting and enjoyable watch which I'd recommend for fans of world cinema, yes.

It doesn't completely come together in a coherent whole, but the way MM gets you into the headspace of its blind young protagonist in various individual scenes is poetic cinema done very well.

Individually, many of the scenes are absolutely beautiful, and the way Makhmalbaf combines music and camerawork together is a wonder to behold, but taken together as whole, the great individual moments fail to create a narrative that is more than just mildly engaging. Also, I know none of the characters were played by professionals, but the lead child actor was still terrible, regardless.

A simple but very poetic and beautiful work. The use of sound and music, particularly the repeated motif of Beethoven's 5th, is stunning, and the imagery is quite memorable as well. To be honest, I didn't care much for the young actor in the lead role, but I really adored the girl who helps him out. I still haven't found a Makhmalbaf film as sublime as A Moment of Innocence, but I'm eager to explore more of his work.