3 Faces

Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s fourth feature since he was officially banned from filmmaking in his home country, this captivating road movie feels very much like an homage to Abbas Kiarostami. Panahi and his female traveling companion, Behnaz Jafari, play themselves on a journey to a tiny village near the Turkish border, where they are in search of a young woman and her family. “A sly fictional commentary on life in Iran, hope, the country’s cinema legacy, and the continuity of history, disguised with folksy infusions of humor as a shaggy dog story” (Barbara Scharres, RogerEbert.com). Panahi’s first feature, The White Balloon, screens on August 31 as part of Movie Matinees for All Ages.