SFIFF: The Last Step

On the last day of the SF International Film Festival, I saw The Last Step, an Iranian film by Ali Mosaffa. The scenario concerns a husband, played by Mr. Mosaffa, who declares himself to be dead in a voiceover at the beginning of the movie. However, we see him very much alive, dealing with his midlife crisis & his actress wife whose love seems directed elsewhere. The film gleefully toys with the audience. The husband suffers a number of accidents, any one of which could explain his death, but the story continually jumps back & forth in time, & it remains unclear whether he is dead or not. I enjoyed a comic subplot in which the husband takes up skateboarding, only to crash into his childhood bully. The script has a literary feel, & I recognized references to The Death of Ivan Ilyich, though I'm sure I'm missing more.

The showing was full, even though it was midday on a weekday. Festival programmer Sean Uyehara introduced the movie & reported that the director says the film "integrates many different types of representation." As soon as it was over, a woman in my row declared, "I'm confused."

§ The Last Step
dir. Ali Mosaffa
Iran, 2012, 88 mins.

The 56th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival
New People Cinema, Sat, 5/4 7:00 PM
New People Cinema, Wed, 5/8 6:15 PM
New People Cinema, Thu 5/9 1:00 PM