FISH & CAT (MAHI VA GORBEH) Breakthrough

FISH & CAT boldly defines its own subgenre as a horror comedy art film, in the vein of a FRIDAY THE 13TH installment by way of Alain Resnais. Told in one staged continuous shot, the film moves between a group of university students at a kite-flying festival on a forested lake, and the sinister crooks running a nearby pitstop. It’s not so long before the baddies, carrying knives and an unsavory-looking bag apparently filled with something bloody, make their way into the forest. A long-take virtuoso, filmmaker Shahram Mokri introduces a Möbius-strip time element, achieved by having characters enter and exit the frame as the camera continues its impassive glide, following some characters while abandoning others to their grisly fates. Meanwhile, the use of backstory through voiceover adds yet another story layer, making FISH & CAT a rare cinematic experience.