Search - Secret Ballot on DVD

Democracy storms a sleepy place

Joseph Haschka | Glendale, CA USA | 03/03/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In the first scene of SECRET BALLOT, a large box is parachuted from of a plane flying out of the sunrise. It lands on an Iranian island, on the beach guarded by two soldiers. These are apparently the only two armed representatives of authority in the place, and "guard" may be an overstatement. Catching smugglers is their assignment, but they do it with only one bed, one rifle, and one timepiece between them. In any case, inside the crate are a ballot box and instructions for the soldiers to expect the arrival of an elections agent at 8:00 AM. They're further ordered to escort the agent around the island and collect votes in that day's national election. A half-hour late, a small motorboat lands on the beach, and off clambers the agent - a modern young woman complete with chador and a missionary zeal for her job, which must be completed by 5:00 PM. At first, the soldier on duty is reluctant to do the agent's bidding. After all, she's a woman, and this is Islamic Iran. However, after she waves the undeniable fact of "his orders" in his face, off they bounce in a jeep to harvest ballots for the box. The film's screenplay does not provide names for the agent or the soldier, but they're played by Nassim Abdi and Cyrus Abidi respectively. The humor and pace of SECRET BALLOT is much like the island itself - sleepy. In fact, you may need a large java to stay focused on the English subtitles of the Farsi dialogue. But the film isn't without a gentle charm, especially if you're curious about the world around you and you've not been to this corner of it.The soldier is, to put it charitably, a stolid, unimaginative sort. But he does know the pulse of the island. During the day's rounds, the agent, her idealism, and the "approved list" of candidates (from which each voter must select two) are confronted by the realities of the local electorate, e.g., woman who won't vote without instructions from their men, men who won't vote because their candidates aren't on the list, and a religious fundamentalist who insists on Allah as a write-in candidate. At day's end, the agent and the soldier see each other in a different light, and each is the better for it. We first suspect the change in perhaps the movie's most humorous scene when the soldier halts the jeep at a red light in the middle of nowhere with no other moving vehicles in sight.SECRET BALLOT has no eye-popping special FX, white-knuckle action, belly laughs, or stunning dramatic moments. But I'm giving it a marginal thumbs-up because it's a small window on a world much different than my own, and I appreciate the perspicacity of the view."

(In Fact, It's 3.5 Ponits) One Day, She Came from the Sea...

Tsuyoshi | Kyoto, Japan | 06/03/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Secret Ballot" starts with a unique visual image: a tiny speck of airplane's shadow and something dropping from it, against the beautiful sunrise. And that something plays the central role of this mildly amusing, low-keyed political satire. But that is not all that you will see in this Iran-Italy production. "Secret Ballot" is about an incongrous pair: one laconic soldier guarding somewhere on the sleepy coast of an unnamed island in Iran, and a talkative female civil servant coming there to collect votes for the election. The latter has to complete her job by 5 p.m., and the soldier, to his great dismay, is ordered to accompany her around the island.The small tour is filled with episodes concerning their task. and not many islanders are friendly to her. Or they just don't understand her job. In spite of her lofty idealism and unstoppable energy, her job turns out nothing smooth because of the differences of belief, custom, and language. And so many unexpected things happen to her -- one of the votes is even hidden under a rock.To see her doing at best (still not without disillusion about democracy in general) makes you see the point of the film clear, but there is another asset to the film, an underplayed romantic aspect between the two leads. Watching over her never-ending struggle, the soldier, who was at first very hostile, gradually changes his attitudes towards her. As the appointed time for her to leave comes near, we also understand his feelings to her in his words, which are in themselves very few. Don't miss that point, and that's why a slightly surprise ending gives the entire film more pathos than you expect. No longer this island is a sleepy place for the soldier. As is often the case with Iranian films, "Secret Ballot" is slow-paced and would require your patience. In case you feel sleepy (I confess I did), you might know the following facts about the film. The two leads are in fact non-professionals, and the heroine Nassim Abidi is a student majoring in journalism in college. The director managed to persuade her to join in the film despite the great reluctance on her side. This episode may sound unbelievable when you see her very natural acting on the screen, which is one of the merits of teh film. The soldier's player Cyrus Abidi is recruited for the role in the shopping center in the Kish Island where the film was shot. Actually, it was after the original person who was to play the role bailed out.The film is, as I said, shot on the beautiful Kish island on the Persian Gulf, and the island is known as one of the resort places of Iran. If you want to see more of this beautiful place, see another Iranian film "The Day I Became a Woman."All in all, "Secret Ballot" is an amusing and thought-provoking film. The director Babak Payami, who was born in Iran but had lived in Canada for nearly twenty years until 1998, has a knack for realizing the atomosphere of the place. The film's long sequence may be called overused, and the running time should be shorter than now, "Secret Ballot" is a charming film, especially because of its bitter-sweet ending. Don't follow the story; watch this one very slowly."