Taxi

Movie, Recommended by Cian

In 2010 the Iranian government briefly imprisoned director Jafar Panahi, and officially banned him from making films for 20 years. Taxi is Panahi's third film since the ban went into effect. A faux-documentary shot entirely on dashboard cameras and mobile phones, the movie follows Panahi as he drives his taxi around Tehran during a single afternoon. Old women, a young accident victim, a banned film distributor, Panahi's young niece, and old friends all pass through his cab as the city bustles around them. Almost entirely plotless, the film lives on the dialogue with the passengers, which can be funny, heartfelt, irritating, or mournful, but always orbits the political. Panahi crafts a tender portrait and stiletto critique of his home city, all the more amazing because it seems to happen by chance.