By: Parvaneh Ahmadi
Let’s start with the title of the film. "Endless Night" brings to mind a novel of the same title by Agatha Christie. The novel tells the story of a young man who meets and marries a rich girl. After marriage, he buys a Victorian house that people say is cursed. In this film, it’s as if Jamshid is the young man in the novel who took Shamsi out of his father's affluent house and married her. The house that Jamshid bought a few years after his marriage seems to be the same cursed house in the novel which now his family’s happiness is failing in. Although there is no written or oral interview with Hamid Tamjidi in which he referred to the adaptation, his connection to literature is not unfamiliar. Doesn't the film by him called "The Rose" refers to a novel by Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose)? Or in his other film "The Bird May Die" (the film he made after his emigration) does he not consider a poem by Forough Farrokhzad (the late contemporary poet of Iran)? Besides, a part of the storyline of "The Name of the Rose" (Umberto Eco's novel) seems to be traceable in the TV series "The Wages of Fear", just as the story of the "Agate" series is based on a true story. Finding the signs of Tamjidi's interest in literature and adaptation requires a separate review of his works. He knows well how to take clues from literature and real events and how to adapt them to Iranian culture. He is skilled in using native cultural elements to write and direct the script.
Iranian screenwriter, actor, and director Hamid Tamjidi, who became well-known in the 1990s, is best known in Iran for the TV series "Wages of Fear"; A series in the detective-crime genre that became so popular that it prompted Tamjidi to make a sequel (Part 2) entitled “Playing with Death”. A cinematic version of the second part of the series was also produced, and parts of it were presented as "intertextual" references at the beginning of "Endless Night". However, the story of Endless Night is not in the detective genre but explicitly and directly deals with society and its smallest unit, the family. In fact, at a time when the Iranian socio-political atmosphere and, consequently, the cinematic atmosphere were mainly focused on other issues, this film raised one of the most important sociological issues of the family. In "Endless Night" (1999), Tamjidi turns to "domestic violence"; It could be said that the subject was neglected at that time and had not, as in recent years, been subjected to such extensive sociological and statistical research.
As the family has always been considered a sacred refuge for the tranquility of man, violence destroys the safe and peaceful image of the family. Numerous factors such as genetics, physiology, environment, and society contribute to domestic violence. One of the most important variables influencing violence is defined in the theory known as "social learning". This theory is the result of research by Albert Bandura, according to which humans are aggressive towards each other for three reasons: 1) they have learned aggressive reactions from past experiences (intergenerational transmission). 2) they expect to achieve a goal through aggressive action. 3) certain social conditions lead them to aggression. In Endless Night, there are examples for each of the above. In a sequence of this film that takes place in the front yard, Jamshid's father severely reprimands him for his violence against Shamsi. Addressing Jamshid, he says, "I wonder how this woman tolerated you during these years!" Jamshid replies, "The way my mother tolerated you. When you were going to get a second wife, how she felt and how much she took sedatives? Don't you remember?" In another sequence, in the same yard, Jamshid's mother and father talk to each other. The woman says to the man, "Remember how much you hit me on the back with your baton? No one dared to protest." These dialogues, which reveal the events of Jamshid's childhood, show that he learned violent behaviors from the experience of his father's generation, in the context of his paternal family and the environment around him. He is trapped in a cycle of violence and its generational turnaround. This is the first reason for violence in Bandura's theory; learning behavior through observation or direct experience of behavior. But the second reason is to achieve a specific goal. It seems that Jamshid, by committing physical violence against Shamsi, intends to show patriarchal authority. The belief which justifies him for having a second wife and as such objecting to this is met with corporal punishment. The third reason, in Bandura's view, depends on socio-economic conditions. Jamshid is in a category of society for which it's not easy to generate income. He has also not had much financial support. In unequal social and economic conditions, incorrect methods of achieving prosperity become more deceptive. Thus, the loss of such false methods and opportunities leads to aggressive and violent behavior. A second marriage is an opportunity for Jamshid. In order not to miss that, he even resorts to lies and secrecy. So, when he feels threatened, he becomes violent.
Attitudes, beliefs, and cultural patterns are also among the most important structural factors that reinforce cycles of violence against women. “Endless Night” is full of allusions to superstitious or irrational cultural attitudes, each of which can foster or justify a cycle of violence. In a society where the male sex is superior, the daughter is expected to compromise, be a peacemaker, settle disputes, not quarrel, and be caring and kind. This cultural belief is present in the mindset of Jamshid's mother. She confesses to Fati that in marital disputes (between Jamshid and Shamsi) she has repeatedly sided with Jamshid. Because in her view, it is the woman who must always retreat, and it is the woman who must maintain the family. She also tells Jamshid's father "it is the man who is in charge and has the final say." The father, addressing Jamshid, says, "I thought that if you got married, you would become a man." This sentence refers to another culturally incorrect attitude. This attitude assumes that one's moral and behavioral defects improve through the formation of a new family. "I did not want to let a stranger take over my brother's living property," also he says, justifying his attempt to marry his brother's widow. By saying this, he is justifying his violence against Jamshid's mother. On the other hand, due to his patriarchal beliefs, he wants his late brother’s widow and children to remain within the same extended family, even if at the cost of ignoring a woman's emotional wishes. In response, Jamshid's mother added the saliva of a dead body to her husband's food. Because she believed that by doing so, she would prevent him from remarrying. Thus, when there is a wrong attitude, superstitions are also produced so that the confrontational force of harmful cultural beliefs is equal.
The characters that Tamjidi and Bakhtiar (as co-screenwriters) have created in this film are not complicated. They are gray, flat, and familiar characters. Daily, we deal with them through social interactions. Shamsi (played well by Neli Minassian) is a devoted woman. She is a model of a compassionate and moral mother in the Iranian cultural community. In a cycle of cultural superstitions and irrational attitudes, she has worn a blue dress for six years, believing that it has brought her luck and prevented her family from conflict. Jamshid injured her but she is not even willing to go to the hospital for treatment because she believes that "family reputation is more important than anything." Even the character of the educated midwife (played by Lorik Minassian) fits into this cultural cycle; As she confesses to her husband, "I would not have gone to the hospital if I had been in Shamsi's place."
The issue of domestic violence is serious social harm that still exists in society. The resulting crisis causes a lack of emotional exchange in the family. The question is how, despite domestic violence and unfounded cultural beliefs, many families continue to live together and the foundation of the family remains with all its shortcomings and inaccuracies. It may be appropriate to compare with an example from the science of physics. In the nucleus of an atom, there is a repulsion between two protons. But, despite repulsion, the "strong force of the nucleus" holds them together and causes them to continue to coexist and avoid the disintegration of the nucleus. This force, although it does not affect the outside of the nucleus, stabilizes the nucleus. The family is like a nucleus; The smallest social nucleus. The force that holds parents together despite all kinds of violence and repulsion, in the absence of love, is the child. Families who have experienced emotional divorce may have repeatedly argued that "I remained because of my children"; Just like the "Endless Night" argument, except that the film's script has a clever promise in itself and, implicitly, heralds a brighter future in family relationships. Recall the sequence of the grandmother arguing with her granddaughter. Fati's character, as a model of the younger generation, criticizes her grandmother's attitude: "Do you think a woman should be beaten, humiliated, killed to keep the family? ... Damn a family that survives like this." Perhaps the point of this sequence is that although children are the strong force for survival the nucleus of damaged families, there is a force beyond called "consciousness"; It is this force that acts even stronger. Through time and by social changes, consciousness influences the attitudes of the children of each generation. Raising collective awareness raises the hope of reducing violence. Even Jamshid does not pass his mistakes to the next generation. In an emotional sequence, he is alone with Mahdi and teaches him, "If a man beats someone, he is an animal, not a human."
Anthony Giddens (sociologist) outlines four steps in the cycle of violence. All four steps are included in the progress of the "Endless Night" scenario, respectively.
Step 1) Tension (the attacker gets angry). Jamshid himself admits "I got angry."
Step 2) Crisis (the attacker commits violence). Jamshid beats Shamsi for about twenty minutes.
Step 3) Justification (The attacker tries to justify his violent behavior). To justify his violence, Jamshid lies "I went crazy because of a lost check."
Step 4 (Honeymoon) (the attacker apologizes and the victim gives him another chance). At the same time as the morning light enters, Endless Night enters the honeymoon. Jamshid expresses remorse. Although the power of love is colorless in her heart, Shamsi gives him another chance because of their children. Now everything is ready to change on the eve of Nowruz.
The Ministry of Culture refused to give the production license to "Endless Night". This film was never released in Iran. As its title suggests, Endless Night is narrated overnight. It has successive suspensions. The whole story goes so fluent, and takes place in one place, In one house. It is a positive and admirable achievement in directing. Each of the characters added to the story is with his family; The family of Jamshid's father, the family of Jamshid's friend, the family of a midwife, and even the family of the second wife. Everything focuses on family relationships. In recent months, the film has won many awards in various categories (Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, etc.) at international film festivals; The long list of honors of this film is included in IMDB. In a note on May 16, 2021, Tamjidi wrote on his Facebook page, "I had a trip to Iran two years ago. Accidentally I found a 35mm copy of this film. I converted it to digital and brought it to Canada. Twenty years have passed since the making of this film, so it was not surprising that the copy was badly damaged. We did the restoration; An acceptable version of it was obtained. To get the film out of the stagnant archive, I sent it to festivals that have no time limit. Fortunately, the reception was great." In Endless Night, both cast and music are acceptable and effective. The theme of the music fits the mood of the film and strengthens the balance of emotions. Tamjidi has collaborated with Parham Parvas in composing the soundtrack. As he has played the role of Jamshid himself. Being behind and in front of the camera at the same time during a feature film is a challenge. Hamid Tamjidi has earned an acceptable score.
“Nowruz” is the Iranian New Year which is celebrated worldwide by various ethnolinguistic groups usually around March 21.
