by Richelle Charkot
“We can’t make music here. We’re decaying in this country […] but we will have a future.”
Susanne Regina Meures’ film Raving Iran follows two enigmatic DJs named Anoosh and Arash, who are trying to fulfill their dreams of making house music for the masses but are continually oppressed by the Islamic regime. “They caught me once and almost beat me to death,” Anoosh explains in the opening scene. “Do you see the scars? They’ll be there forever.” Shot in part on a cell phone due to the dangerous nature of a highly policed Iran, this documentary is positively captivating. Anoosh and Arash make music under the name “Blade & Beard”, and do have many victories over the course of the documentary; they hold a hyper-secret rave in the Iranian desert, they manage to convince some people to sell their illegal CDs (musicians must go through several bureaucratic hoops in order to deem their music legal) and they’re even invited to a huge House music festival in Switzerland, where they can freely play techno without fears of police. But with that they face just as many hardships, between arrest, several miles of red tape over their work being legalized, money woes, and the pain at the thought of choosing their careers, moving out of Iran and leaving their loved ones behind. Meures’ film offers a very honest look at what humans will endure to have the freedom of expression. Anoosh and Arash lack egotism about their work; instead, they just want the opportunity to work without possibly being thrown in jail the next day. Oppression and fear are palpable throughout Raving Iran, such as when the men drive out into the desert to hold the rave (this sequence is one of many shot on a cell phone), and advise the women on their bus to bring their scarves with them just in case there is a bust. This film is also lean and well-paced, as every scene in it begs to be included and is as interesting as the last. Raving Iran is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, drawing a poignant picture of a country without the privileges others have. It’s a definite must-see at this year’s Hot Docs.
Raving Iran screens today at 3:15pm and Saturday May 7 at 7pm at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.