Taxi

Composite Score: 83.03

Starring: Jafar Panahi, Nasrin Sotoudeh, and others

Director: Jafar Panahi

Writer: Jafar Panahi

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Docufiction

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Box Office: $3.91 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Taxi is a docufiction film from Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, featuring amateur actors conversing with Panahi while he poses as a taxi driver around Teheran, Iran’s capital city. The critically acclaimed film was made by Panahi despite being banned from making films or travelling by the Iranian government, and it features much discussion of what the government considers to be acceptable films among other things. The rich vignettes of different taxi passengers provide a portrait of the state of life in modern Teheran, from the oldest to the youngest and a few in between.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                If social commentary and/or docufiction are not your thing, Taxi will definitely not be the film for you. This is a film that requires at least a surface level knowledge of the restrictive nature of Iran’s government, Jafar Panahi’s own life, and an enjoyment of movies that have something to say about society to fully enjoy. With a small amount of IMDB browsing and a very general look at a news article about what’s going on right now in Iran, Taxi can quickly become an excellent watch. However, I recognize that not everyone wants to put in even that amount of effort when watching a film, so I will grant that it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                It’s impossible to watch Taxi and not recognize Panahi’s love for film and filmmaking and his country along with his not-so-veiled distaste for the way that his country’s government has stifled much of the creativity that is necessary to make great films. That restriction notwithstanding, Panahi has created a film that is so simple but has so much to say and leaves its audience in awe by the end of it all. The conversation between his first two passengers offers audiences a debate on the effectiveness of capital punishment, letting the audience know off the bat what type of film they’re getting into. The second story point – driving a couple to the hospital and shooting a last will and testament video in the process – allows Panahi to show just how much film is capable of accomplishing while also providing commentary on the legal status of women in Iran. His interactions with Omid, the passenger who sells pirated DVDs that are otherwise unavailable in Iran, prepares the audience for later conversations about Iran, while calling into question the rights and wrongs of pirating films (insert “You wouldn’t steal a car” joke here). The short bit with the two elderly women racing to the spring provides a break in the action and a more spiritual and superstitious diversion from some of the more grounded conversations in the rest of the film, reminding the audience of the diverse beliefs and lifestyles of the people of Teheran, the film’s true focus. Then it is Panahi’s conversations with his niece and his old friend that bring home just how taboo the film truly is, letting the audience in on all the restrictions placed on filmmakers by the Iranian government and moving the story to its climax. In its wind-down, the film features one last social commentary in a conversation between Panahi and the human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who gets in his cab to discuss the imprisonment and hunger strike of Ghoncheh Ghavami – one last no-no in the eyes of the law. It’s a string of interconnected conversations that leaves the audience curious, engaged, and strangely encouraged by Panahi’s love of the craft.

                Jafar Panahi’s Taxi works its way into the list of Greatest Films of All Time by presenting an honest and engaging look at the state of society and filmmaking in Iran through a series of deeply engaging conversations between the filmmaker and his performers all in a taxi on the streets of Teheran. The film’s docufiction style and focus on Iranian issues can be a bit disorienting for unprepared viewers, but its filmmaker’s passion shines through and leaves viewers happy that they were along for the ride. This film is currently available to stream on Kanopy or via a Cohen Media Amazon subscription or to rent on other streaming platforms for those looking to give it a watch.