“A Bit of Light” (“Kami nour”)
(Iran/Switzerland/Italy/Canada/Turkey)
Screened at the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival (4+/5)
Letterboxd (4.5/5), Imdb.com (9/10), TMDB.com (9/10), Imdb.com critics review
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When life seemingly stacks the deck against us, the thought may cross our mind to surrender and make a discreet exit through suicide. But is that a truly viable option? Consider, for example, the part we play in the world’s unfolding. What’s more, what about the significance we hold in the lives of others, most notably those who care dearly about us? That being the case, then, is suicide really the answer or a potentially self-serving act, one that might even be characterized, albeit unfairly, as cowardly? Such is the dilemma faced by an Iranian doctor who has grown tired of the intolerable circumstances inflicted upon him, not to mention the increasingly difficult daily living conditions he faces in his homeland. As the US-Iran War began and demonstrations commenced at home, Arash (Missagh Zareh), a compassionate Tehran physician, took in injured protestors to attend to their wounds, a gesture that got his practice seized, his assistant arrested, his medical license revoked and the kindly doctor thrown in prison. Convinced that such measures were far too extreme and now facing an uncertain future, he deliberately decides to kill himself. But, before taking his life, he systematically goes about getting his affairs in order. However, he quickly discovers that this checklist approach to these matters is not as simple and straightforward as he thought it would be. In meetings with his brother (Ramtin Daghigh), sisters (Sadaf Asgari, Forouzan Jamshidnejad) and mother (Mina Rahimzadeh), as well as impromptu encounters with relatives of two of his ailing patients, Arash finds that intentionally cutting himself off from those who care for and depend on him is not as easy as originally envisioned. Even bidding goodbye to the stray cat he took in and gave a good home proves to be more emotionally painful than thought. So what is he supposed to do now? Can he live with his initial decision, or must he embrace the uncertainty, a prospect made all the more difficult with a war still hanging over him and his countrymen? Those are the questions that writer-director Ali Asgari asks in this riveting human drama, one that’s fundamentally quiet but simultaneously gripping as it plays out. The picture’s brilliant, incisive, tautly written script, with its nuanced parallels between Arash’s circumstances and unexpected developments that pop up and echo the foregoing key questions (and force him to reassess his plan), holds viewer attention remarkably well, despite most of the narrative consisting of a series of conversations and little other action. But, most of all, this offering pushes us to examine considerations that we likely take for granted and to which we typically devote precious little attention, both from a practical standpoint and on a mystical/spiritual level. “A Bit of Light” might not offer the kind of premise that would make for a mesmerizing release, but it indeed does, serving as a prime example of the need to think twice before inflicting consequences on ourselves and others that we can’t take back once it’s too late.