"SOUL SEARCHING CAN BE BEAUTIFUL", this is the title of the New York Post's review of Bab' Aziz by Naceur Khemir. I watched this movie in Paris and again on DVD.
"February 8, 2008 -- WELCOME to what the press notes for "Ba b'Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul" call "the enchanting and ever-shifting sandscapes of Tunisia and Iran."
There we find a blind old man, Bab'Aziz, and his young granddaughter - "my little angel" - Ishtar.
They have been hiking for days to reach a gathering of dervishes that is held once every 30 years.
To keep the child happy, the white-bearded old man tells her the story of a prince who gave up his throne so he could spend his days gazing into a puddle, contemplating his soul.
From time to time, Bab'Aziz and Ishtar run into fellow travelers, some of whom have stories of their own to relate. A young man, for instance, tells of finding a palace at the bottom of a well.
The script isn't what Hollywood calls "high concept." It is, rather, a meditation on life accompanied by beautiful music and gorgeous images.
Let us not forget lovely performances by Parviz Shahinkhou as Bab'Aziz and Maryam Hamid as Ishtar.
The director, Nacer Khemir, wrote the story "with the participation of"' Tonino Guerra, who has worked with greats such as Fellini, Antonioni and Tarkovsky. Enough said. "
[Source: NY Post]
