In his second theatrical movie, multi-hyphenate Mehran Modiri, considered one of Iran’s most beloved TV satirists, turns his hand to the thriller style with blended outcomes. He writes, directs and performs within the intense however more and more contrived social points film “6 A.M.,” through which a small incident escalates into a giant tragedy. Though the indie characteristic principally seems to be and performs like a middling TV drama, it nonetheless paints a surprisingly important image of the nation by exhibiting how all of a sudden and utterly the state can intervene with the behind-closed-doors lives of extraordinary residents. 

Philosophy scholar Sara (Samira Hassanpour) is nervously getting ready to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Toronto, the place she is going to stay for the following three years whereas she pursues her doctorate. As she eats what she jokingly refers to because the “Final Supper” along with her college professor mother and father and brother Siavash (Mehrdad Sedighian), she’s interrupted by a name from her shut pal Fariba (Mona Farjad) who insists that Sara cease by a last gathering of her friends, and gained’t let her say no. Sara offers in, marking the primary of quite a few unhealthy selections that may hang-out her over the course of the night.

The gathering hosted by Fariba and Peyman (Mansour Nasiri) in a spacious, Western-style condo boasting an odd selection of artwork, proves bigger than anticipated, with the female and male buddies consuming pizza and ingesting unlawful alcohol whereas discussing some social issues, together with excessive rents. Though Sara actually must go to the airport, Fariba has deliberate a number of music performances and she or he gained’t let Sara out the door earlier than they happen. 

On the 35-minute mark, the doorbell rings, however as an alternative of extra pleasant faces come to bid Sara goodbye, it’s the police, appearing on a citizen report a couple of disturbance. By now, it’s already contact and go for Sara to make her flight. With the probability that the officers will power these on the get together to go to the police station, her buddies assist her to cover in an air duct. The remaining 80 minutes characteristic surprises greatest found within the second, throughout which the stress stays excessive whereas the motion turns into progressively far-fetched.

Modiri, who additionally seems as a high-ranking safety companies hostage negotiator within the movie’s last part, inundates his screenplay with aural and visible foreshadowing. The dialogue consists of an amazing variety of mentions of “final” and “last.” Nonetheless, in a extra progressive selection, he eschews the ticking clock gadget one other filmmaker may use to extend the running-out-of-time stress and as an alternative cuts to black between his quick scenes, inculcating a way of finality, claustrophobia and dread.

Other than Sara, the supposedly sensible girl who retains making silly selections, the opposite characters are completely one-dimensional. As her supportive brother, Sedighian is completely unconvincing in his over-the-top, last-act actions. The low-budget manufacturing design wavers between too apparent (Sara framed behind the bars of the locked and sealed condo) and perplexing (why is Peyman’s condo furnished with an enormous Marilyn Monroe photograph, a replica of Vermeer’s The Woman With a Pearl Earring and Da Vinci’s outstretched arms?) 

The movie opened in Iran this summer time, however failed to draw a lot viewers. In a rustic beset by social issues and the place so many much less proficient writer-directors ape Asghar Farhadi, it’s no marvel that comedies work greatest on the native field workplace.