The Cow (Gaav)
Directed by Dariush Mehrjui
Written by Dariush Mehrjui from a play by Gholam-Hossein Saedi
1969/Iran
IMDb link
First viewing/YouTube
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] Masht Hassan: I’m not Hassan. I’m his cow.[/box]
This movie, if not exactly upbeat, is an excellent escape into a little-known culture and is therefore appropriate for Lockdown.
Hassan, a simple man treats his beloved pregnant cow as a pet. It is the only cow in a village that is constantly preyed on by livestock rustlers from a neighboring village. One day Hassan needs to go to the city. While he is gone, the cow is found dead in her shed. The villagers know that this will devastate Hassan and attempt to conceal the reason for the cow’s absence.
Hassan comes home and is not fooled for long. He gradually descends into madness. The villagers try to break the spell while simultaneously battling the thieves that descend on them almost every night.
I liked this very much. The best parts for me were the glimpses of folk customs and the beautiful score. Available on YouTube for free in a good print. Recommended.
Clip – print quality was much better in full version on YouTube
