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The title of Farshad Hashemi’s film might remind you of a Facebook notification. Ironically, “Me, Maryam, The Children And 26 Others” is the last film to flaunt a sociable air. Rather, it is a vulnerable peek into a forgotten woman’s life and her handful of memories. Suddenly facing the onslaught of a film crew shooting in her home, the woman is in a constant state of disbelief. Is there an iota of affection amid the commotion?
Mahboube Gholami is representative of the bitter landlady cliché. She isn’t entirely cuckoo yet. She is only in her late 30s. Somehow, from a distance, we see the picture of how her life would pan out. Mahboube would refuse to give and take affection – closing one door at a time. In the sunset of her life, she would be lonely with no one to take care of her or to inherit her house.
In cinema, female characters like Mahboube are not uncommon. I would draw parallels to those from India. In Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anari, Mrs D’sa (Lalita Pawar) is an old spinster whose love for her tenant takes years to develop. In Wake Up Sid, Mrs D’Monte needed some tending to become friendly with the affable Aisha and Siddharth. Not landladies in a textbook sense, Manisha Koirala’s Maya Devi from Dear Maya and Jennifer Kapoor’s Violet Stoneham from 36 Chowinghee Lane were soul sisters to Hashemi’s protagonist.
In Mahboube’s case, the politics of the country (Iran) do play a part in how she retreated into a state of emotional exile. For the same reason, “Me, Maryam, The Children And 26 Others” is courageous in its very existence. In Hashemi’s unit, the women do not wear the hijab and they interact freely with men of all ages and marital statuses. Mahboube is never oppressed in the plot even as we realize it is she who ought to escape her cocoon of self-imposed misery.
The woman’s treasured piece is an incomplete painting her late father made. When the film crew repaints the wall and touches the shelf, she is perturbed. It is a lifetime of order they seem to interfere with. What will happen to her carefully guarded memories if the connecting materials are spoiled?
“Me, Maryam, The Children And 26 Others” is a stark study of loneliness. It is not that Mahboube chose a solitary existence. She happened to land there and now she wouldn’t move at the cost of guarding herself. She is convinced that no soul would want a slice of her anymore until the short film crew led by Farshad hands up. Hashemi plays the producer with a lot of humor.
It only helps that Mahboube Gholami has a face any camera would love – still or motion. The eyes speak, and the twitches of her facial muscles have a million things to say. It’s been a while since I came across a performer so raw yet fully uninhibited in revealing her inner self. Gholami’s mere stare at a painting would trigger a waterfall of tears. “Me, Maryam, The Children And 26 Others” flaunts a quiet, work-in-progress feel which helps the character’s growth to be documented – like a larva turning into an alluring butterfly. Watch out for the bonds she develop with a crew member, her concern for his kid (named ‘Arta’), or her interactions with the leading actress. We feel bad when the crew is about to finish filming. You know there’s more to what they could do for Mahboube.
There is a parallel track around the theme of the short film that’s being shot in the house. The long sequences exist only so that our leading woman would observe them and probably make parallels with her unhappy past. The screenplay masterfully links some of its elements to the main story and the creative transitions keep us amused.
As it ends on a achingly beautiful note, “Me, Maryam, The Children And 26 Others” feels like a comforting hug. It is a film with negligible exposition. The screenplay’s intrinsic emotional quotient signals you to practice kindness and gratitude – to oneself and to those around you. Hashemi’s film is that genuine well-wisher who embraces you tight and reassures you in the least toxic positive tone, “Hang in there, bro! Life is good…”
Rating: ★★★★ 1/2
“Me, Maryam, The Children And 26 Others” was screened at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI Goa).
