Tranquility in the Presence of Others
Nasser Taghvai, 1969, 84 min  

Often seen as one of the indispensable films of the Iranian New Wave, Tranquility in the Presence of Others is a poignant and brisk cinematic adaptation of a story by Marxist writer Gholam-Hossein Saedi, attacking the indecisiveness and empty rhetoric of Iranian intellectuals, as well as dissecting the patriarchal core of Iranian society. Banned after a single screening at the Shiraz Arts Festival of 1969 – a ban which was not removed until 1973 – it tells the story of a retired army general who travels to Tehran with his newlywed wife to visit his daughters, only to observe their unhappiness and casual affairs. As his mental condition deteriorates, the film’s tone shifts from sardonic to tragic. Tranquility… delves into the anxieties of a country that is seemingly marching forward but retains a troubled, melancholic relationship with the past. The gender and social conflicts of Saedi's story are brilliantly translated into a bleak vision of Iranian society and the confusion of the middle classes.  

The copy of this rare film that will be screened for the first time in the UK is sourced from the best available elements, as the film was indefinitely banned a second time after the 1979 revolution, with access to the prints of the film blocked by Iranian authorities.

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Never on Sunday is a series of screenings of rare classics, archive masterpieces, obscure delights and forgotten gems carefully curated and introduced by Ehsan Khoshbakht and taking place the last Sunday of each month at Close-Up.