No Bears – A Fascinating Look At Free Speech

Iran boasts many fantastic filmmakers working today, but they sometimes interfere with their artistic free speech cause problems for the filmmakers. Writer/director Jafar Panahi is one such voice whose latest film, No Bears, delivers a fascinating look at this dynamic. In December 2010, he was sentenced to six years in prison and was banned from making from the filmmaking process for twenty years. This film is an intriguing piece of cinema where he tries to film a movie in secret while under said ban from leaving Iran. Panahi was then arrested in July 2022, shortly after the film wrapped this past May, following a debut at the Venice Film Festival to critical acclaim. Though it represents the fight for rights and freedoms for artists and critics and pundits have sung its praises, its meta nature will leave a large portion of audiences scratching their heads and wondering what it’s all about.

No Bears follows writer/director Jafar Panahi (playing himself) directing his latest film at a location across the Iran border despite having been prohibited from leaving the country. Meanwhile, the film features two story lines, one involving the production of Panahi’s latest film and the other involving Panahi’s personal struggles while staying in a border town during production. Suffice it to say that there is a meta-aspect to it all as the premise of the film shares many similarities to Panahi’s real life circumstances. While engaging, they may also prove to be a source of frustration and confusion.

Through Panahi’s dealings with the local city officials, there is a commentary here on how governments, in this case Iran, look to exert power over its citizens to influence the narrative and to shape the narrative about them by any means possible. This is merely the screenplay hard at work, shining a light on a director’s creative process while in the midst of some political turmoil that looked to threaten that process. With Panahi appearing in the film as himself, this gives the film more of a documentary feel with scenes that mimic life so much that some audiences will be left wondering what is real and what isn’t. Meanwhile, a lower budget meant very little cinematic flair, lending more to its simple documentary feel rather than being a grandiose Hollywood production with all the bells and whistles that often came with it such as songs, music, an original score, visual effects, or flashy editing.

After some reading in between the lines, No Bears slowly becomes even more fascinating. The film reflects the hypocrisy highlighted in Iranian legal system and a government teetering on the edge of authoritarian rule. In the context of the film, No Bears is simply a lie meant to control and/or manipulate in order to exert influence over an individual. Looking at the story from a macro level, it becomes a very powerful and sobering reality for filmmakers and essentially anyone that isn’t free to voice their opinions and ideas. We as a people need freedom of speech to exist to encourage forward thinking ideas and dreams in a world where humanity can freely express these ideas. In the end, No Bears is an important film that delivers a story of cultural, ethical and moral significance, despite a potential disconnect with mainstream audiences.

As a form of art, cinema and the artists that lend their vision to these works are something that need to be protected and preserved. With No Bears, Panahi highlights how the dogmatic thinking present in human nature, especially by those in power who try to force their beliefs on others. At the end of the day, anyone who loves freedom should try and bear this one.

(original review)

still courtesy of Janus Films

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Russell Miller

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