Fifth Reaction




I finally took the opportunity to see Fifth Reaction (Vakonesh e Panjom), a movie from Tahmineh Milani. T. Milani has been well known as a feminist director but to my opinion she has her own point of view to the Iranian society problems as a human being, somehow critical. Although her critical opinions created some problems to her but in any case she always has something to say.
Fifth Reaction seems a movie of dramatic genre that has a look to the women issues in Iran, but to my judgment it goes further.
At first quarter of the movie you could see the cold fighting of all five ladies with their husbands, but when she zoom in the privet sector of one of them ( Fereshteh ), the audience can see another view and can travel with Milani to the second layer of the movie which is more interesting. The viewer goes deeper to see how a father could be a dictator to govern the family.
She spreads a wide long shot to the relations between the powerful narrow minded leader of a family who has a good heart and the young widow who would like to take care of her sons although under the control of her father in law and in his house. But to his point of view, she can not live with them if she doesn�t marry his second son, the uncle of children. Otherwise she doesn�t deserve to keep her sons. His orders like a godfather orders, based on unwritten rules chain other members of the family or society. He is the law and a commander as well. He likes absolute power to run the family based on his believes. You can talk to him but he never listens or learns. If you take him to any challenge he has to be winner. Because of his good reputation and a big name (Haj Safdar) with money, staffs, bodyguards, security system and influence, he can attack to whoever might be against him or seems to be, and in case take everybody to the jail if he thinks they must receive some punishment. He lies when is necessary and gives the chance to others if they accept his conditions. He is everything and thinks to be the god!! He has the absolute power.
The widow names Fereshteh (Angel) and is innocent and hands up when the father orders. When she decides to say something to Hadji it means a revolution. Nobody believes that she can says something different. She starts` and the fighting goes on step by step but when she looses the control to feed the children the father Haji) appears and says that the game is over. There is no way apart from the jail. The destiny of any independent life is being arrested and going to prison, when Haj Safdar is on.
But there
When he sees there is no way to pass through the people who are protesting him for his attitude against her, he offers her in the prison the last chance to go back to the house and lives with them, IF,�..
He is going to give the last lecture and tells his conditions but the movie has been ended with the last IF that says to the viewer the game is on because there are people and she is not alone although semms to be still in the jail.