The Tamesis
Although this is a major victory Tatami— a feature film co-directed by Iranian (Zal Amir Ibrahimi) and Israeli (Guy Natif) filmmakers — was made and released amidst the tensions that exist around the world, and don’t let that distract you, because it’s also just a riveting drama, a great sports movie that pits an underdog (in this case, a woman with an indomitable spirit) against an oppressor (a dictatorship) in a way that thrills the audience and captures its heart. Lodge.
Basic information: Laila (Arianne Mendy) is a world-class Iranian judoka competing in and winning the Judo World Championships; if all goes well, a gold medal (which would be Iran’s first) appears to be within her grasp. Well, of course that wasn’t the case: As she was leading the way in the championship, word came out from her government, via her coach (Amir Ibrahimi again), that she would forfeit her next match because of a fake injury—she was scheduled to compete against an Israeli athlete, and Iran does not recognize Israel.
Suffice it to say that Leila disagrees with this approach – anything beyond that is firmly within spoiler territory – and what follows is both alarming and gorgeous, shot in gorgeous black and white reminiscent of a Scorsese film angry bull. Again: You don’t need to be steeped in geopolitics to enjoy this movie, which taps into something fundamental inside all of us—the need to conform, or just do what you’re told to do, when every fiber of your being is twitching in one way or another. God no. The fact that Leila had painstakingly organized her life while hoping and dreaming about such an opportunity—only to have someone she’d never met try to turn down the opportunity for reasons she might or even didn’t care about—only added fuel to the fire.
Tatami The film’s release in the United States in June, during an extraordinary escalation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza, did two things at once. That makes the film, which actually premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, almost supernaturally topical and relevant, but also makes it incredibly tricky to promote. When I saw the opening night of this film at the IFC Center in Manhattan, the audience was rapt and as we all emerged from the theater, a few of us gathered around producer Adi Ezzroni and he started talking about the complex making of this film and its relevance and importance. (An earlier public discussion was canceled due to security concerns.) When IFC security quickly shut down our impromptu discussion, the meeting was quickly moved to a nearby cocktail bar, and soon Arianne Mandi, who was in town shooting something else, hailed a cab over to join us all, and our awesome screening turned into one of the only nights in New York City. I can’t guarantee you the same one-time experience, but I able Guaranteed no matter what your politics, this movie has a thrilling magic.
