Rich in political and cultural resonance as well as contemporary relevance, the documentary essay “Rehearsals for a Revolution” marks a promising feature debut for Iranian actress-turned-helmer Pegah Ahangarani. Her compelling personal perspective on 40-plus years of post-Revolutionary Iran provides a chronicle of great hopes and even greater disappointments. In it, she plays with the Iranian concept of yād, which encompasses both memory and how the past returns to mark the present. A quality choice for festivals and broadcasters, it is especially notable for the abundant visual and aural archives she accesses, the poetic, allusive editing and her beautifully modulated narration.
Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, every protest movement has been met with bloodshed. Given the authoritarian nature of the government and its control of the media, the full, brutal extent of these crackdowns are never seen by those inside the country, much less by foreigners. The mere fact of bearing witness makes “Rehearsals” an important piece of work. But Ahangarani’s skill as a story teller, honed over a three-decade acting career including more than 40 features, and through directing a number of documentary shorts, is clear to see.
