Film Summary
The Iranian film CRIMSON GOLD, directed by Jafar Panahi and written by Abbas Kiarostami, tells the story of an ordinary pizza deliveryman named Hussein (Hussein Emadeddin), and his journey navigating the dark injustices of Tehran - from the dirty, downtown "souk" neighborhood to the wealthy, uptown enclaves of the city. The opening scene, an amazing four-minute, camera-steady shot, is stunningly violent, a grisly scene that sets the story for a re-examination of the events that led Hussein to this destructive explosion. Panahi attempts to understand how a simple, shy and good-hearted guy like Hussein could be brought to such violence. "Hot enough to have been banned in its home country, and resonant enough to command our watchful participation." -- Jan Stuart, NEWSDAY "Jafar Panahi's film exposes the cruelties and inequities of a society sharply polarized by class and corrupted by selfishness, snobbery and cynicism." -- A.O. Scott, NEW YORK TIMES "Combines the talents of two of Iran's most forceful critics of their country's theocratic regime." -- Andrew Sarris, NEW YORK OBSERVER "A deceptively modest undertaking that brilliantly combines unpretentious humanism and impeccable formal values." -- J. Hoberman, VILLAGE VOICE "A flawlessly executed character study." -- Richard James Havis, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER