Saw this at the NYFF. The director could not attend the screening because Iranian visitors to the US have be fingerprinted upon entering the country. The film follows Hussein, an obese pizza delivery guy, whose suicide we witness in the first agonizingly long take. Then through flashbacks we get to know him. Or rather we simply witness his life in a militarized state. We get to see how much people rely on this pretty boring man. His soon-to-be-brother-in-law. His hopelessly lonely fiancee. Even the people he delivers pizzas to. In one way or another he suddenly becomes the center of their stories. The pace is purposely SLOW. By the end of the film you don't feel bad about his death. You leave feeling both empty and sentimental. Much like his life. For me it felt freeing.
Review of Crimson Gold
