The Hunter

Shekarchi
a film by Rafi Pitts

Ali Alavi has recently been released from prison and makes the most of his return, amidst much talk of the upcoming elections and promises of political change. Working as a night watchman in a Tehran factory now means that he is at least able to support his loving wife, Sara, and their six-year-old daughter, Saba. Ali tries to spend the most time possible with them, but needing also to escape the stress of urban living he retreats to his favourite pastime of hunting in the secluded forest to the north of the city.

One day, Ali comes home from work to discover that Sara and Saba have disappeared. Realising that there's no point in waiting for them any more, Ali decides to go to the police. But there's chaos at the police station and it takes hours for him to get any information. Finally, he is told that his wife was caught up in a shoot-out with demonstrators and was killed. His daughter Saba, however, is still missing.

Ali's search for his daughter drives him to distraction and ends in horror when her dead body is eventually discovered, pushing him over the edge. Desperate for revenge, in broad daylight overlooking the busy city's surrounding highways, Ali randomly shoots and kills two policemen with his hunting rifle. The police mount a ground and air search operation as Ali heads out of the city. After a high-speed chase in dense fog along a country road his car crashes and he flees into the northern forest where he is captured by two police officers. Ali is resigned to his fate and watches quietly as the arguing policemen lose their way in the woods. In such a remote landscape as this, situations become complicated and the line between hunter and hunted is difficult to define.

Commenting on the ambiguity of the narrative, writer and director Rafi Pitts explains: "The film concentrates on hunting down to explore the pressure of a time bomb society. The 'hunter' could obviously be seen as the leading character Ali, but there can also be other interpretations. Keeping things open to interpretation is an important element of my filmmaking. As a director, I try to give as many meanings as possible. My job is to question. I don't believe in trying to give answers."

A searing indictment of political corruption, The Hunter is a tense, compelling and beautifully shot minimalist thriller, set against the background of social unrest in Iran.