The Bread and Alley

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MariofanAlex445 T @RT47678067 Sep 20 This is like a fable, such a simple tale with a sad message with very few characters. See more Laura B @LauraBR Apr 12 Based on a screenplay by his younger brother, Taghi, Abbas Kiarostami's first short film is a deep and sensitive exploration of that genuine childhood feeling of fear, but it certainly goes much further. A work that modestly begins to show many of the recurring themes the Iranian director would develop in later works. The protagonist of 'The Bread and Alley' is a young boy sent by his family to buy bread who faces a formidable challenge: overcoming the threat of a dog that stands in his way. Through a mix of ingenuity and bravery, he manages to achieve his goal. A character who, like many others in Kiarostami's filmography, demonstrates determination that drives him to move forward, despite being alone and lacking the necessary tools to face the dangers that occur. This isolation and exclusion of children from the adult world, who must fend for themselves, begins in this first short film by the Iranian director but will continue in titles like 'The Experience' (Tadjrebeh, 1973) or 'Where Is My Friend's House?' (Khane-ye Doust Kodjast, 1987), to name a few examples. Despite his limited cinematic knowledge, Kiarostami shows unexpected stylistic maturity, masterfully combining the soundtrack with moments of silence, dead spaces that coincide with the most important moments of the film—those in which the boy must discover the solution to his dilemma on his own. See more Read all reviews

The Bread and Alley

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