An Seh / Those Three: A

First-time writer/director Naghi Nemati reportedly spent two years in the mountains of northern Iraq filming Those Three, and the stunning result was screened as part of the Global Lens film series sponsored by The Department of Electronic Media and Communication and The Institute for Hispanic and International Communication at Texas Tech's College of Mass Communications last evening.

Dr. Rob Peaslee, who is bringing film studies to the College with class and gusto, moderated a panel discussion following the screening. This has been the pattern for all three Global Lens screenings, and the commentary by scholars with extensive knowledge of Middle Eastern cultures gave the evening depth and breadth.

Those Three is a modernist fable of soldiers who desert, choosing the vast snowy unknown over their small company and overbearing officer. In contrast to Persepolis [2007], Those Three is not anchored to specific historical events, or even an easily definable narrator. As panelist Dr. Lahib Jaddo pointed out, Persepolis was not made in Iran, and therefore less subject to censorship. What Those Three reminded me of most powerfully was Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, although Dr. Kanika Batra argued for the powerful influence of Akira Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala [1975]. The white landscape is striking, and as in the Cohen brothers' Fargo [1996], rises to the level of an additional, omnipotent character. Stark, beautiful imagery, thoughtful bursts of vitality and humor, a puzzling narrative structure, and a fine cast contribute to a deeply moving art film.

Watchmen: C+

It is true that director Zach Snyder [300] struck a skillful balance between honoring his source, the classic graphic novel Watchmen [1986], and creating a movie which could be enjoyed by audiences not familiar with the original. The larger potential audience is most clearly addressed in the credit sequence, a simultaneously subtle and over-the-top bit of filmmaking. In most particulars, Snyder chose fidelity, and fans of the original seem grateful. At the risk of revealing how uncool I am, I'm part of the larger audience, and I just didn't get it. Cool visuals, especially Rorschach's constantly morphing mask, and Dr. Manhattan in all of his blue glory, but also dreadful superhero sex and, ultimately, more cognitive involvement than this non-fan could muster.