Unlike Iranian film giants Abbas Kiarostami and Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian-Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi is little known outside Iran and the European film-festival circuit. But that's a huge loss to the movie world, as every single one of his works are unforgettable animals, leaving permanent claw marks on the memory.
His last work, "No One Knows About Persian Cats," (2009) won the special jury prize at the Cannes film festival and alerted the world to the plight of young Iranian artists and musicians trying to get out of the country. Ghobadi had always been in a dicey political position because of his Kurdish background, but "Persian Cats" put Ghobadi's name right on top of the Iranian government's blacklist. He was chased out by the military police and now lives and works in Turkey.
"Rhino Season" (released originally in 2012 as "Fasle Kargadan") is the first film Ghobadi has made in exile. The depth and range of his visual imagination astonishes the senses, like a lover's caress and a punch to the face at the same time. Through the film we get a glimpse of what defines a human being after basic rights have been stripped away along with the trappings of money and status. We see the toxic, devastating effect that can be brought about by envy and betrayal. But, ultimately, it's a love story between a husband and wife who have been separated for 30 years, and are haunted by their younger selves.