At a time of war and deep division in the Middle East, a film co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian is in itself something significant. Ma ‘Tatami‘, which follows an Iranian judo champion whose career is seriously jeopardized by her government and whose title refers to the mat on which the competitions take place, is much more than a simple collaboration between two artists from realities in conflict with each other.
The Israeli Guy Nattiv and the director/actress Zar Emir Ebrahimi, award for best female performance at Cannes with ‘Holy Spider’, set the film in a single day during the world judo championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, where the Iranian Leila, supported by her faithful coach Maryam, after having obtained an easy victory in the opening round and beating the reigning champion, seems destined to the final. It is then that a phone call arrives from the head of the Iranian judo association inviting Maryam to withdraw the girl or have her fake an injury since later in the tournament she could face the Israeli judoka against whom they are terrified of losing by forcing the ultimatum with threats addressed to the family of the athlete living in Tehran. And even the coach is questioned.
Presented last year at the Venice Film Festival in the ‘Orizzonti’ section, ‘Tatami’ – inspired by a true event – is a political drama that incorporates thriller elements. The two directors manage to find an excellent balance between the tension of the judo competition – shot in cold black and white tones – and issues relating to politics and social justice. If Leila is a sort of modern horsewoman who is unhorsed and continues to fight despite everything, her trainer is a more ambiguous but no less intriguing character, afflicted by the weight of past decisions that still weigh heavily on her present . Continuously torn between respecting the rules for fear of the consequences of possible disobedience and a thirst for freedom that she does not (yet) have the courage to demand, Maryam lives through Leila a struggle that she herself would have liked to fight, solitary warriors of a system from which they would like to escape and heroines who fight to defend values that are viscerally important to them.
Cut from the same cloth as 1950s American sports noirs rather than the more subtle cinema of other Iranian directors like Kiarostami or even Panahi whose ‘Offside‘ on the ban on women attending football matches at the stadium is radically different in terms of style, tone and dramatic thrust, ‘Tatami’ is a relentless reportage where reality and fiction are closely intertwined with two almost alien worlds that develop in parallel , one on stage and one behind the scenes: what happens in the competition is completely different from what happens in the locker room with Leila and Maryam experiencing the double situation of being constantly monitored and threatened on the one hand and having to pretend to the outside world and not being able to trust anyone from the other.
In stories like this, normally someone like Leila would end up prevailing against all odds but here – without spoiling anything – it was decided to opt for a different epilogue. Because victory isn’t so much about getting the gold medal as choosing a side even if that means losing a lot more. ‘Tatami’ is a courageous film that does not fall into the trap of a triumphalist ending, opting instead for an ambiguous victory that leaves indelible scars.
2024-04-14 08:28:14
#film #week #Tatami #thriller #political #drama #Primocanale.it
