Brick and Mirror

When a mysterious woman abandons a baby in the backseat of his cab one night, the taxi driver embarks on a journey through the city’s unfeeling bureaucracy as he attempts to find a home for the infant – much to the displeasure of his girlfriend. Ebrahim Golestan is considered a notable figure in pre-revolution Iranian culture – a highly influential film and literary figure also thanks to his close relationship with feminist literary icon Forugh Farrokhzad. With B&W cinematography that steps between expressionism and silent naturalism, Golestan demonstrates a patient and attentive approach to his protagonists – drunks, police officers, and welfare workers – who unveil themselves as everyday poets whose perspective is anything but simple. The Tension between the harsh reality and this humanity provides the film its power.

The restoration of Brick and Mirror has been jointly promoted by Ecran Noir Productions and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna under the aegis and supervision of Ebrahim Golestan. Restoration works have been carried out at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in Bologna, with funding provided by Fereydoun Firouz/Ecran Noir productions and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna.

The 4K restoration has used the original camera negative and the Persian sound negative. Brick and Mirror exists in two versions, the original negative being shorter by ten minutes. The outtakes – preserved separately – have been restored and reconstructed according to Golestan’s instructions as well as using a vintage print of the longer version as a reference.

The reconstruction revealed a three-minute long sequence never seen before. Special thanks to Ehsan Khoshbakht for his invaluable contribution to the restoration process.