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October 31, 2023
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cinema
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Women’s Judo World Championships held in Georgia. Leila (Arienne Mandy), an up-and-coming Iranian representative, is suddenly ordered to withdraw from the country’s government. When she and her national team coach Maryam (Zal Amir) resist, the authorities begin their relentless attack. At the end of the dual battle between competition and political pressure, “Tatami” reveals another struggle of women seeking liberation from an oppressive system. In addition to its realistic theme, this is a suspense action drama that is reminiscent of a Hollywood movie in the best sense of the word. The standard-sized, high-contrast monochrome video casts the spectator seats at the match venue in darkness while the square tatami mats that serve as the main battlefield shine in white, building a close drama around it.
This movie takes place in a limited setting. In addition to the fact that the match venue is a closed space, Leila’s husband and others from her homeland, shown in parallel editing, are also under a moonless night sky. At the beginning and end of the film, no sunlight reaches the world of the film, except for a glimpse of a gloomy sky through a train window. Beneath the dark, heavy ceiling, Leila, her husband, Maryam, and the tournament organizers are separated and forced to fight against the enemy. However, they are characterized by the fact that even though their whereabouts are separated from each other, they are always captured by a network of communications. In response to Leila’s acts of rebellion in a foreign country, the authorities immediately begin to persecute her family in Iran. Not only that, but he even sends a video of his girlfriend at the match venue. Maryam also receives constant threats over the phone from the president of the judo association. On the contrary, Leila is able to contact her husband to flee, and he takes her son and rushes to the border at the same time as her wife’s match. The exchange of high-speed communications creates a simultaneous “real-time” suspense.
The exclusion of bright skies, the multilayered nature of isolated and unaided battles that seem to lack solidarity, and the constant focus on the present through an emphasis on “real time.” These distinctive screens of “Tatami” evoke memories of masterpieces produced by Hollywood in the past. One example is The Trap (1949), directed by Robert Wise. This is a movie about a boxer played by Robert Ryan who struggles alone after being asked to fix a match. Indeed, the two films differ in the gender of the main characters, the competition, and the themes. The fight for women’s freedom must be fundamentally different from the last fumbles of an envious middle-aged man. Still, the minimalistic story depicts about 70 minutes of one night, the endless conflicts between Ryan, his wife, his colleagues, and others, and the “real-time” format in the sense that the screen time and the elapsed time of the film coincide, making the action more appealing. Coupled with the precise and responsive shots, I can’t help but think that this is a distant ancestor of Tatami.
I would like to add that the film’s closeness to the present is achieved not only by its simultaneity, but also by stripping away the past and concentrating on the battle at hand through a clear confrontational composition. This can be said to give “Tatami” (especially the first half) its speed of narrative and a certain classical style. Layla is a strong athlete, but her special training and passion for judo are completely ignored. The baselessness in this area may be closer to that of Errol Flynn in “Astro Boy Jim” (Raoul Walsh, 1942) than “The Trap.” Similarly, for Leila, winning the fight and pursuing freedom are absolute, predetermined justice, and do not have their origins in some personal past.
In the second half of the movie, the film moves away from the trap and reaches its own core. Tatami’s ultimate enemy is the current Iranian regime, and the reality of the country’s ongoing insidious oppression of women gradually weighs on it. The men’s persistent intimidation crushes Layla’s confidence, her breathing becomes erratic, and her steps lose their strength. Maryam rushes to her side, and when the separated two are reunited in the same frame, they declare “no” to their homeland. I’m sure no one who has followed movies obsessively up until now would deny the appeal of those words. However, what gave this film more credibility than words was the definitive footage of Leila in an underground club in Iran, taking off her hijab and her black hood on the tatami mats. However, I think it was a shot that respected continuity.
2023-10-31 13:07:46
#36th #Tokyo #International #Film #FestivalTatami #Zal #Amir #Guy #Nattiv #nobodymag
