Samira Makhmalbaf's The Apple is a 1999 film that blurs lines between genres. Blending elements of documentary, fiction, and dramatization, The Apple is indeed a special case in film making. Makhmalbaf's vision began when she read the story of a family who had kept their twin daughters locked up for eleven years until the state welfare department came out and handled the situation. Makmalbaf (who's father headed a production company in Iran) decided to get in touch with the specific individuals mentioned in the story, and decided to cast them in her movie, stressing to tell the stories and perspectives of each family member.
The film begs the viewer to consider the difference between realism and fiction. The characters are real, but situations are scripted to an extent. The film has an extremely gritty feel to it. While portions of the movie were filmed on video, most of it was captured on film. This variation in quality coupled with the frequent handheld camera and tracking shots effectively brings the viewer into the streets of Iran, validating the reality of the movie in the audiences eyes.
The Apple is a relatively simple film, but perhaps that is why it works. Makhmalbaf utilizes longer scenes to exemplify symbols and imagery in her production. In one scene that goes on for three to four minutes, the two girls jump and reach for an apple dangling on a stick, certainly representing their freedom. In another scene, the girls observe flowers in the distance, and make handprints on the wall of their "cell" resembling the flowers. Observing the outside world, and trying as hard as possible to recreate it while locked up. Towards the end of the movie, in a climactic five minute long struggle to unlock the gate from the outside in, the girls find power in their ability to take their father out to buy them some watches. These extended scenes do well to hammer in the central themes and motifs of the film.
This was the first film by Samira Makhmalbaf, and it was no small start. While she has since gone on to direct more acclaimed films, her technical decisions still remain effective to portray the realistic, multi-faceted story of The Apple.
The film begs the viewer to consider the difference between realism and fiction. The characters are real, but situations are scripted to an extent. The film has an extremely gritty feel to it. While portions of the movie were filmed on video, most of it was captured on film. This variation in quality coupled with the frequent handheld camera and tracking shots effectively brings the viewer into the streets of Iran, validating the reality of the movie in the audiences eyes.
The Apple is a relatively simple film, but perhaps that is why it works. Makhmalbaf utilizes longer scenes to exemplify symbols and imagery in her production. In one scene that goes on for three to four minutes, the two girls jump and reach for an apple dangling on a stick, certainly representing their freedom. In another scene, the girls observe flowers in the distance, and make handprints on the wall of their "cell" resembling the flowers. Observing the outside world, and trying as hard as possible to recreate it while locked up. Towards the end of the movie, in a climactic five minute long struggle to unlock the gate from the outside in, the girls find power in their ability to take their father out to buy them some watches. These extended scenes do well to hammer in the central themes and motifs of the film.
This was the first film by Samira Makhmalbaf, and it was no small start. While she has since gone on to direct more acclaimed films, her technical decisions still remain effective to portray the realistic, multi-faceted story of The Apple.
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