Reza Motori
Masoud Kimiai, 1970, 105 min

Introduced by Ehsan Khoshbakht

“A cult classic of Iranian cinema, featuring superstar Behrouz Vossoughi, Reza Motori has influenced many contemporary filmmakers, who remain haunted by the film’s tragic climax in an open-air cinema. The titular hero, hiding his true identity as a bank robber by feigning mental illness, then swaps identities with his upper-class doppelganger, even falling for the rich man’s fiancée. But there’s no escaping the gangsters who want his stolen loot. Reza Motori forms a kind of loose trilogy of rebellion and self-destruction with Kimiai’s Gheysar and The Deer, as the film’s working-class hero channels Marlon Brando with his motorcycle, leather jacket, and existential doubt. The film also features a memorable theme song performed by Farhad, a great score by Esfandiar Monfaredzadeh (with his ingenious use of a harpsichord), a title sequence designed by Abbas Kiarostami, and still photography by Amir Naderi.” – Ehsan Khoshbakht

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Never on Sunday is a series of screenings of rare classics, archive masterpieces, obscure delights and forgotten gems carefully curated and introduced by Ehsan Khoshbakht and taking place the last Sunday of each month at Close-Up.