Gabbeh Review
By Christopher Null
A gabbeh is a type of woven rug, and the one in question is a gabbeh owned by an old couple (never named) who treasure it as an heirloom. This gabbeh features a picture of a man and woman riding on a horse, and when the couple goes to wash the rug (which is accomplished by tossing it into a river), the girl sprouts to life. Her story involves the other figure seen on the rug, a man who loved her from afar, for reasons we'll discover as the film plays out.
It's a mere 68 minutes until the credits roll, and Gabbeh feels appropriately slight. But the film's visual beauty will distract you from the shallowness of the plot. It's quite reminiscent of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which was wondrous to behold, but ultimately much ado about nothing. To call it a masterpiece is a bit disingenuous.
Of course there are no special effects in Gabbeh, unlike Tiger: Gabbeh doesn't morph out of the rug. It's just a poof and the girl (also called "Gabbeh") is there. And that simplicity at least makes us feel like we aren't being tricked into seeing more on screen than is really there.
The film is small, but that may make it even more memorable.
Facts and Figures
Year: 1996
Run time: 75 mins
In Theaters: Wednesday 25th June 1997
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 3 / 5
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Fresh: 18 Rotten: 2
IMDB: 7.1 / 10
Cast & Crew
Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Producer: Khalil Daroudchi, Khalil Mahmoudi
Screenwriter: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Starring: Shaghayeh Djodat as Gabbeh, Abbas Sayah as Uncle
Also starring: Hossein Moharami, Rogheih Moharami, Parvaneh Ghalandari, Khalil Daroudchi, Khalil Mahmoudi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf