Closed Curtain(Pardé)

A man, a dog, and a villa. That’s what Panahi needs to make a masterful, multi-faceted allegory under draconian conditions. Like the start of a mystery, the narrative puzzle begins when a solitary writer retreats to a remote seaside villa to protect his beloved dog from a new Islamic governmental ban on all canines. What ensues is a fantasy (or reality?) that becomes fractured in increasingly astonishing ways, as his house is invaded by unwelcome guests, and then Panahi himself makes his appearance in his usual deadpan. Oblique and opaque, this Pirandellian comedy is an act of defiance against artistic suppression, and a selfreflexive essay about filmmaking.

Berlin International Film Festival: Silver Bear for Best Screenplay