BIFFes 2019: Inaugural film offers lessons on war, love

The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s might be nothing more than a piece of history for us in this part of the world. More often than not, we visualise certain parts of history in the form of war, peace or strife and nothing more!

That’s where Bomb, a Love Story fits in. An Iranian film set in Tehran of 1988, it dissects into the days and nights of people who lived and died in midst of the war. It beautifully captures the people’s routine in spite of the bombings, struggles and most importantly, love!

Bomb, a Love Story was the opening film of the 11th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes), that began on Friday. At a time when we, as a nation as well are battling with the idea of war, loss and grief, the lessons from the film are a major takeaway.

The things that we take for granted - a normal school life, struggles of married life or the idea of talking to a sweetheart - are engulfed in days and nights of war. The storyline follows the characters’ struggle to handle these complexities and yet, manage to keep a glimmer of hope alive.

The humane side of the war and the heartbreaking scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat. The director and screenplay writer of the film, Peymaan Moaadi (who also plays the main lead) presents these struggles in a fresh and relatable manner. Several sequences in the film were moving, like the part where the people run to the basement to escape the bombing or the one where the little boy talks about why he loves the war.

Nominated for two awards at the 12th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the film might leave you with several questions, but it will stay long after you have watched it.

The film festival has many such films lined up, but Bomb, A Love Story is a film that is most apt for the times we are living in today. It speaks about the uncertainty of life in times of war and a need for love. And helps one ponder if only war makes life uncertain and isn’t’ love a necessity for our everyday battles too?

Catch the screening of the film, Bomb, A Love Story on February 27 at 6 pm.